Blog posts from January 2009
December's comments on features and reviews
by Jess McCabe // 31 January 2009, 18:44
Check out the comments on features and reviews sent in during December. We had a massive response to Samara's article about the harassment she suffered growing up with big breasts. Other much-commented-on articles include: Molly's feature about gender segregation in...
"The Ghastly Feminist Lobby"
by Catherine Redfern // 31 January 2009, 13:18
Some of you will know that until 1991, rape wthin marriage was not a crime in England and Wales (in Scotland, it was already outlawed). The reason I mention this is that whilst doing some research I stumbled upon the...
Spot the difference
by Louise Livesey // 30 January 2009, 18:07
From Alas, a Blog...
PETA do it again (sigh)
by Louise Livesey // 30 January 2009, 17:53
This was PETAs attempt at a Super Bowl ad break advertisement: 'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad Yep that's right, PETA again decide to sell "ethical" issues by massively exploiting women's bodies and sexuality. Because obviously we all try...
Friday round-up!
by Jess McCabe // 30 January 2009, 16:47
Women over 45 in need of kidney transplants are less likely than men to get one, according to a new study. Cara considers why this might be, over at Feministe. Melissa at Shakesville does 'girl math'. And enthuses about Matt...
And whilst we're on local government issues...
by Louise Livesey // 30 January 2009, 15:12
The Guardian reports that more than 100 local councils may be prosecuted for failure to provide adequate services for those experiencing sexual and domestic violence. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission has warned local authorities they need to explain why...
Jessica Simpson: what's the big deal?
by Abby O'Reilly // 30 January 2009, 15:10
In the 2005 remake of The Dukes of Hazzard Jessica Simpson enhanced her status as an international pin-up as the svelte, chesty, Daisy Duke, tottering around in high-heels and tight tanks tops, showing off her 36-24-36 figure. She was praised...
"It's not sexist, it's a statement against political correctness" aka don't mess with my male privilege
by Louise Livesey // 30 January 2009, 14:24
Councillor David Taylor (Nottinghamshire County Council) has put up a soft porn calendar on his office wall. The office being that of his official county council offices, just for clarity. His reasoning is that it's a political statement against...
Funding u-turn will help women groups
by Sunny Hundal // 30 January 2009, 09:18
Remember the controversy over Southall Black Sisters being threatened with a huge cut in funding last year by Ealing Council? That was because Ealing Council said groups like SBS were not inclusive enough and thus not spreading community cohesion. Thankfully:...
Chemistry kits 'for boys'
by Guest Blogger // 29 January 2009, 11:14
Frequent F-Word commenter Sabre guest posts about chemistry kits 'for boys' Reported in the Telegraph yesterday was the unveiling of a range of chemistry sets for kids. "Great!" I thought eagerly, "I wish I’d had toys like this when I...
"You don't have to be a rapist to have that bad boy rapist style"
by Louise Livesey // 28 January 2009, 17:04
OK so I admit this was first put up on YouTube in September 07, but I only just heard about it. Apparently it was promoted by Maxim magazine. Oh and he's also done "paedophile beards" which he describes as "the...
Anti-semite in shock sexism!
by Jess McCabe // 28 January 2009, 16:40
You've probably heard by now that the Pope has un-excommunicated four bishops, despite them being Holocaust deniers. Needless to say, people rarely ascribe to just one particular type of bigotry, so it's no surprise to see that ringleader of the...
'Birds on Bikes' Night Ride
by Jess McCabe // 28 January 2009, 14:51
If cycling Londoners are not too exhausted after the Million Women Rise march and rally, or whatever other International Women's Day events you might be attending, you might be interested in this night ride: There will be a Night Ride...
Independent fails, twice
by Jess McCabe // 28 January 2009, 12:56
Jill at Feministe points out two annoying stories in the Independent, and I think taken together they say a lot about the Independent's editorial stance on female sexual pleasure. First up, they report on a study suggesting masturbating is good...
Iceland to get world's first lesbian prime minister
by Jess McCabe // 28 January 2009, 10:48
Johanna Sigurðardottir looks set to become the first ever LGBT head of government, after Iceland's coalition government collapsed. She's currently minister for social affairs. The Huffington Post has an interesting piece about how utterly unbothered the people of Iceland are...
An afternoon round-up
by Jess McCabe // 27 January 2009, 15:49
Nigeria's House of Representatives has passed a bill outlawing same-sex marriage. Sokari has more. Meanwhile, 160 MEPs signed the declaration on making sure civil partnerships and same-sex marriages carried out in one member state of the EU are recognised in...
Progressive London Conference report - The new Mayor and women in London
by Guest Blogger // 27 January 2009, 14:13
In this guest post, Orlanda Ward reports on the Women in London panel at the recent Progressive London conference While some of us might love Boris Johnson’s floppy hair and comic persona, can London’s women really leave their best interests...
Women from the Global South speak out about Climate Change
by Jess McCabe // 27 January 2009, 11:42
Hear from activists on how climate change affects women. More info here: Floods, Drought, Pollution and Survival: Women from the Global South speak out about Climate Change Hear first hand from women in countries such as Bolivia, Guyana, India, Uganda...
Cardiff women organise festival for IWD
by Jess McCabe // 27 January 2009, 11:06
The events to mark International Women's Day in March are beginning to pile up. This festival in Cardiff sounds great: To celebrate International Women's Day in Wales women's political, cultural and support groups in Cardiff are working together to organise...
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Jess McCabe // 26 January 2009, 23:51
I'd so far managed to miss out on Gregory Maguire's revisionist fiction, but I was given an audiobook of The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West this Christmas, and I've got to say I was impressed....
Some menstruation stories of interest....
by Louise Livesey // 26 January 2009, 18:40
First off, XKCD get it wrong, or is that right? My first response to this was annoyance that menstruation would be described as freaky but my second response was that XKCD have hit the nail on the head that this...
New feature: Feminist progress - undermined by the media?
by Jess McCabe // 25 January 2009, 21:04
Anna-Kate considers how the porn and beauty industries impact the self esteem of girls and women "A whole industry ranging from heavy pornography and prostitution to soft-core advertising markets women's bodies as objects of consumption by men." – Robert Connell,...
Feminist action at Zara in Madrid
by Jess McCabe // 25 January 2009, 20:56
Check out these great photos of an action by Spanish feminists. They hung these outside a Zara in Madrid, one saying "La belleza está en el exterior" (roughly translating as beauty's on the outside - of the shop) and "La...
New feature: Breastfeeding: radical, feminist and good for you
by Jess McCabe // 25 January 2009, 11:54
Kate Joester explains how breastfeeding helped her understand 'the personal is political' The first time a male hand touched my breast, I was 14. The breasts themselves were considerably newer, arriving in the sudden rush of puberty that turned me...
The Daily Mirror's Mandy
by Abby O'Reilly // 23 January 2009, 18:08
I came across a cartoon sequence in the Daily Mirror today titled Mandy, charting the adventures of a robust blonde with a cleavage fighting to either get out of, or stay in, her dress (it hasn't decided yet). You might...
Obama poised to reverse global gag rule
by Jess McCabe // 23 January 2009, 17:10
Barack Obama is preparing to overturn the global gag rule, which prevents organisations receiving US aid if they offer abortions, or even information about abortions. Various sources are reporting that Obama will sign an executive order later today, ending the...
Casual sexism at LabourList
by Jess McCabe // 23 January 2009, 12:30
LabourList is a recently-launched blog for "Labour minded people". London MEP Mary Honeyball points out on her own blog that LabourList has a startling male-bias: However, my biggest LabourList bugbear is its casual sexism. I expect it from ConservativeHome but...
Is it good to give head?
by Abby O'Reilly // 23 January 2009, 02:40
(I’ve been thinking about the implications of women performing oral sex on men for a while. I began writing this as a feature, but thought it would be more interesting to open it up for discussion as a shorter version...
Not Another Spur(r)ious Claim!
by Abby O'Reilly // 22 January 2009, 15:47
Ah, good old Dr Pam Spurr. She’s only gone and done it again, hasn’t she! Espoused a fresh pile of garbage masquerading as “relationship advice,” presumably designed to help us forlorn and frankly misguided women treat our men textbook right....
New feature: IT's a man's world?
by Jess McCabe // 22 January 2009, 08:09
What drove 37,000 women in the UK to abandon careers in IT between 2001 and 2007? Sue Schofield investigates Sniggering sexism in the IT industry is endemic, but that's no reason it should be tolerated. In 2007, server manufacturers QSOL.Com...
Birds Eye View festival has a blog
by Jess McCabe // 21 January 2009, 19:55
The fantastic Birds Eye View fim festival, which showcases the work of women filmmakers, has launched a new blog. I reviewed the film Finn's Girl for them, as it's just coming out on DVD. You can read my review here...
Panel at Progressive London this Saturday
by Jess McCabe // 21 January 2009, 17:44
I'm speaking on a panel about Women in London this Saturday, at the Progressive London event organised by Ken Livingstone. The full programme is up here, but this is the lineup for the 3.30 panel: Women in London Finn Mackay,...
Women and the Recession
by Louise Livesey // 21 January 2009, 17:22
The TUC has a new document out on the topic - it's available free here. Some headlines from it: There are more women in paid work than in previous recessions but 29% of them are in low paid jobs (compared...
The Olympics and Trafficking
by Louise Livesey // 21 January 2009, 11:09
Now before y'all jump on me, I want to clearly state something. Not all non-UK women in prostitution are trafficked but here I am talking specifically about two distinct things 1. trafficked women for purposes of prostituting them and 2....
Dirk Benedict pissed that Starbuck's a woman
by Jess McCabe // 21 January 2009, 10:30
Dirk Benedict played Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica TV show, which aired in the '70s. He doesn't share my opinion that Katee Sackhoff's performance as Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace is one of the best things about the remake. On the...
New review: Sex and the Substitutes
by Jess McCabe // 21 January 2009, 06:05
Alice Lawlor reviews some of 2008's Sex and the City copycats Was 2008 the year of the girl gang? Sex and the City made a come-back at the cinema, while a whole host of substitutes on the small screen queued...
What's going on in 2009?
by Jess McCabe // 20 January 2009, 18:34
Our events listings are looking a little sparse for 2009. Help us out by telling us what's happening near you - it can be tough keeping track of what's going on up and down the UK! To give you a...
Virgin Atlantic: 25 years on and still behind
by Abby O'Reilly // 20 January 2009, 17:49
On 20th June 1984 Richard Branson launched Virgin Atlantic, marketed as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to British Airways. To celebrate their 25th year, Virgin has a nostalgic new advertising campaign. If you've not yet had the pleasure, you...
Triple Bill of Grumping....
by Louise Livesey // 20 January 2009, 17:40
Whilst I'm at it - this BBC story about a man running a child care centre annoyed me (but not as much as Ex-President Bush). Why? It insidiously presents the idea that childcare is usually all women because of some...
Madonna: should she put it away?
by Abby O'Reilly // 20 January 2009, 17:00
As the chameleon of the pop world, Madge is the queen of reinvention. She can appropriate a new look with more ease than it takes some of us to put a brush through our hair. However, while her capacity...
Rapists sentenced for disabled woman rape
by Louise Livesey // 20 January 2009, 17:00
One rapist got 9 years, two got six years, at least another seven got away scott free. Most of the press has focussed on how that means they might be out in 2.5 years if they behave. As if reminder...
Bush does it again (force his views on others)
by Louise Livesey // 20 January 2009, 16:28
I guess that's the (ex)presidential privilege but it does strike me that declaring January 18th the Sanctity of Human Life Day smacks of desparation. The Press Release reads: All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred,...
A 'sister's' perspective of the Gaza demo, 10 Jan 09
by Guest Blogger // 19 January 2009, 21:30
Following our recent posts here and here on the Gaza demos, this guest post by Zubeda Limbada is an account of one woman's experience of being one of only two women in the sit-in that was staged in front of...
Sexism in the house: Celebrity Big Brother 2009
by Abby O'Reilly // 19 January 2009, 19:30
I might be alone in admitting this, but I love Big Brother! Can’t get enough of it, in fact. While the programme has courted controversy both nationally and internationally, I find it compelling viewing simply because individuals are metaphorically stripped...
Calpol: pain relief with a little gender role reinforcement on the side.
by Laura Woodhouse // 19 January 2009, 14:09
This advert for Calpol has been causing twenty second bursts of intense pain in my brain recently: Because for boys getting back to their 'normal' selves means racing around on scooters, having water fights and scaring little girls with slimy...
Suffragettes boycotted the 1911 census
by Jess McCabe // 19 January 2009, 13:47
Suffragettes boycotted the 1911 census, refusing to fill in the form and writing notes in the margins, reports the Times. One suffragette taking part in the boycott arranged by the Women’s Freedom League wrote: “If I am intelligent enough to...
Carnival of Feminists
by Laura Woodhouse // 19 January 2009, 11:47
The 70th Carnival of Feminists is up at Sheffield Fems, featuring a round up of feminist blog posts on science, religion, feminist anger, parenthood and feminism 101, all charmingly illustrated by lolcats....
Obama feminist controversy raises more questions
by Sunny Hundal // 19 January 2009, 09:29
Zohra earlier highlighted the Ms Magazine cover featuring Obama on the front. In the CNN debate below, you can see how the ruptures that are playing out, once again, as a result of consequence of the election. I think there's...
Perfume advertised by image of dying woman?
by Catherine Redfern // 18 January 2009, 16:50
As if you needed any more proof that images of violence against women are presented as sexy, I just read about a new perfume for women called Wode, in the Indpendent on Sunday. It's getting attention because it turns the...
February Reclaim The Night Marches
by Laura Woodhouse // 18 January 2009, 16:37
Both Bristol and Manchester are hosting Reclaim The Night marches next month. Reclaim the Night NORTH will take place on Saturday 21st February and kicks off at 19.30 from the University of Manchester Students Union on Oxford Road: Women are...
When Will We Ever Be Good Enough - and Should We Stop Caring?
by Catherine Redfern // 18 January 2009, 13:00
Yesterday I was at the Fabian Society's new year conference, taking part in a panel on feminism with our own (and the Fawcett Society's) zohra moosa, Johann Hari, Zoe Williams and Patricia Hewitt. The panel was entitled "The next feminism:...
Introducing our latest guest blogger... Sunny Hundal
by Jess McCabe // 18 January 2009, 12:22
This is a brief announcement to welcome Sunny Hundal as our second guest blogger of 2009! Look out for Sunny's posts in the coming weeks - he is a regular contributor to Comment is Free, and runs two blogs: Pickled...
Are battles never won?
by Jess McCabe // 18 January 2009, 10:27
The law is about to be changed on provocation to murder, as Kit blogged about earlier this week. The current set up, as Kit points out, has meant that (overwhelmingly) men who murdered their wives and girlfriends after finding out...
Ladyfest Goldsmiths, coming up...
by Jess McCabe // 18 January 2009, 00:20
The first Ladyfest of 2009 is taking place at Goldsmiths College, on 5-6 February. More info is available on the Ladyfest Goldsmiths Facebook group (H/T - Charlotte at the Subtext Magazine Blog)...
Nursery rhymes, continued
by Jess McCabe // 17 January 2009, 15:00
In this guest post, Ellie Levenson responds to my post about her column on fairytales in The Independent I was surprised to find my article on fairy tales being discussed on The F-Word, not least because the sentence that caused...
'Women and children's' Gaza action tomorrow
by zohra moosa // 16 January 2009, 23:29
Supported by Stop the War Coalition Trafalgar Square, 2pm, Saturday 17th Rally followed by march from Trafalgar Square to Downing St The march is calling for Gordon Brown to demand an immediate end to Israel’s bombing and an opening of...
Abortion doughnuts? Or is that 'doughnuts on demand'?
by Jess McCabe // 16 January 2009, 20:28
The US doughnut establishment Krispy Kreme has been "accused" of giving away "pro-abortion doughnuts". I kid you not. Krispy Kreme plans to offer a "free doughnut of choice to every customer" on Obama's Inauguration Day, to mark "American's sense of...
Fainting, mothering and other stories...
by Louise Livesey // 16 January 2009, 09:47
Natalie Antonova has an article up about fainting, not the most obvious feminist topic, however this little excerpt tells us an important story. It's a conversation between her and her boyfriend about the experience of fainting fits (syncopes). “You know...
This was photoshopped
by Jess McCabe // 15 January 2009, 22:39
Billboards in the Berlin metro have been plastered with mock-ups of the toolboxes in Photoshop. I think the effect is fantastic. I'm not sure who carried out this particular piece of subvertising, but you can see more photos on...
Equality under the law
by Kit Roskelly // 15 January 2009, 20:17
A bill is currently going through Parliament which will, if it is approved, redefine the defence of 'provocation' in murder cases. Currently, 'provocation' can be claimed by people who commit murder, and if this defence is upheld, they can avoid...
Campari does gang rape
by Louise Livesey // 15 January 2009, 17:39
But apparently it's OK to imply this in drinks adverts as it's "sexy". Plus they are wearing suits so are obviously fine upstanding men who'd never do that.... Hat-Tip to Sociological Images...
Leeds Rape Crisis
by Laura Woodhouse // 15 January 2009, 16:30
There will be a meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 11th February in Leeds Civic Hall (Millenium Square) to discuss the setting up of a new Rape Crisis centre in Leeds: Leeds is home to a number of excellent domestic violence...
Some things of interest
by Louise Livesey // 15 January 2009, 12:43
Apologies all for my absence from this blog for a month - did you miss me? Festive seasons and the like over I'm back and today bring you some things of interest to read.... First up Chay magazine is a...
MS declares Obama feminist super hero
by zohra moosa // 14 January 2009, 14:51
It was sort of inevitable, no? Get your own copy from Ms magazine. Or join in the debate about what it all means: Is the cover a giddy celebration of the feminist potential in the Obama administration or a...
Introducing... The Muffia
by Laura Woodhouse // 13 January 2009, 17:28
The Muffia are a group of feminist women "who create performance, comedy and political interventions in reaction to the culture we live in". Their actions are intended to raise the general public's political awareness, specifically in relation to gender,...
Recycle your phone and raise money for Refuge
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2009, 13:41
If you've got an old mobile phone lying around, you may want to consider sending it freepost to Refuge - they recycle them, raising money for their work on domestic violence: The scale of domestic violence in this country is...
Gender, Race & Class
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2009, 13:37
Do something different this Valentine's Day- make a date with feminists! GENDER/ RACE/ CLASS: AN ANTI-CAPITALIST FEMINIST EVENT Sat 14th Feb, 10.30am -6.30 pm, Tindle Manor, 52-4 Featherstone St EC1 (nearest tube Old St.) Fully accessible venue. This event is...
Another round-up
by Jess McCabe // 13 January 2009, 12:35
Anna Chen did a show about Anna May Wong for Radio 4. But she's also posted extensively about the show on her blog, if you can't get Listen Again to work. I like this story about how Emily Cummins burrowed...
Iris Film Prize 2009 now open for submissions
by Helen G // 12 January 2009, 14:55
The Iris Film Prize is now open for submissions for the 2009 Festival. The Festival itself will be held in Cardiff from 7 - 10 October 2009 and there will be three awards, as follows: Iris Prize - Cardiff's International...
Michelle Obama round-up
by Jess McCabe // 12 January 2009, 11:32
It's not long until Barack Obama offically takes on the role of president. Just like during the election, the media has been focusing plenty on Michelle Obama - well, mostly on what she's wearing and what she's going to wear...
Cerise
by Jess McCabe // 12 January 2009, 10:38
Any gamers out there, I've got to recommend checking out the latest issue of Cerise Magazine. The online magazine "by and for women gamers" concentrates on the "socially conscious gamer" for its first issue of 2009, and there's plenty for...
Women in 2009
by zohra moosa // 11 January 2009, 21:42
So what's in store for us this year? What with the situation in Gaza and Shireen Ebadi's trials which we've already blogged about here, it's not a good start. There has been some good news though, including Joyce Bamford...
Straightlaced - How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up
by Jess McCabe // 11 January 2009, 21:23
This film - made up of 50 interviews with US teens - sounds like an interesting project: There is no disputing the fact that gender-based stereotypes and anti-gay attitudes affect the lives of all students today. The pressure to conform...
Sexual bullying in the playground
by Abby O'Reilly // 11 January 2009, 20:18
According to a recent report by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) more than 3,500 pupils are suspended each year due to sexual bullying. Equating to 19 suspensions each school day, the situation is becoming uncontrollable. This week...
Rachida Dati: from “power suits” to maternity and back like a boomerang
by Abby O'Reilly // 10 January 2009, 22:39
French justice minister Rachida Dati was the centre of much media attention this week having reportedly returned to work just five days after giving birth by caesarean section. The nationals were quick to pick up the story. The Daily Mail,...
Erotica Cover Watch
by Catherine Redfern // 10 January 2009, 16:01
Erotica Cover Watch [NOT SAFE FOR WORK!] is a blog by two erotica authors who asked the question "why only women on the cover of erotic books, not men?" As two erotica writers we're very interested in how our product...
Prostitution Exit Programmes?
by Catherine Redfern // 10 January 2009, 13:26
It seems to me that despite all the debates about the pros and cons of proposed new prositution laws, the one thing that I'd imagine everyone can agree on is that we need more exit programmes, i.e. offering support for...
Legacy
by Jess McCabe // 10 January 2009, 10:31
This is a clip from the short film Legacy, by Campbell Blackman: Legacy Clip from BlackmanVision on Vimeo. There's a whole set of fantastic shorts and clips on the BlackmanVision site, including Paradise Lost, in which "the filmmaker domiciled in...
Target Women: Diets
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2009, 20:24
Increasing ethnic minority women's representation in Westminster and the board room
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2009, 16:24
At Comment is Free today zohra has a great piece calling for government action on the lack of ethnic minority women in positions of power, both in government and big business. For ethnic minority women, the problem is far worse....
Why the High Court is still so white and so male..?
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2009, 16:13
An interesting piece by Afua Hirsch at Comment is Free considers one reason why the judiciary is still largely made up of a sea of white, male faces; and in particular why more women and ethnic minority men are not...
On female friendship & marriage
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2009, 15:01
Is marriage just for people who are sexually and romantically involved with each other? Over at the Shameless Blog, Zoe writes about her own experience getting married to her long-term platonic female best friend. And, well, why not? Is resistance...
100 years of the bob
by Jess McCabe // 9 January 2009, 14:38
Once upon a time, husbands divorced their wives after they cut their hair into a bob. This year the style is 100 years old. According to the Metro: The eye-catching cut was invented in 1909 by Parisian hairdresser Antoine de...
Sarah Haskins reviews 2008!
by Jess McCabe // 8 January 2009, 22:28
Latest Dove film...
by Jess McCabe // 8 January 2009, 22:23
It's called 'Intuition'....
Emergency demos + news re Gaza
by zohra moosa // 8 January 2009, 22:14
For those who missed the massive demonstrations that took place across the country last Saturday which Jess blogged about, there are more emergency demonstrations happening this coming Saturday. For Londoners: assemble 12.30 at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park, for a march...
All about Club Des Femmes
by Guest Blogger // 8 January 2009, 15:24
[The Club des Femmes collective got in touch, after I implied their mission statement was a bit enigmatic when I posted about their screenings at the ICA this month. They've come back with this great summary of what Club des...
"Discrimination against transgender persons must no longer be tolerated"
by Helen G // 8 January 2009, 13:35
"Transgender persons encounter severe problems in their daily lives as their identity is met with insensitivity, prejudice or outright rejection" says Commissioner Hammarberg [the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights] in his latest Viewpoint. Analysing the various difficulties transgender...
Blog about a woman in tech for Ada Lovelace Day
by Jess McCabe // 8 January 2009, 12:18
Suw is calling for bloggers to post about a woman in tech that you admire on 24 March, to mark Ada Lovelace day. She's set up a Pledge Bank page - and it looks like she's just over half way...
Edinburgh group collects stories of violence against women for magazine
by Jess McCabe // 8 January 2009, 11:55
The folks behind Edinburgh Reclaim the Night are putting together a magazine aimed at raising awareness of violence against women in the city. Rachel from RTN Edinburgh writes on Facebook: There are big statistics out there, saying things like one...
Language matters
by Laura Woodhouse // 7 January 2009, 15:08
Melissa McEwan of Shakesville has a fantastic post up on how masculine bias in language marginalises women and why, therefore, neutralising this language is so important: Using "male" as the universal for all humankind is one of the most pernicious...
It's sexist, but it scans so well!
by Jess McCabe // 7 January 2009, 13:41
A throw away line in this Ellie Levenson column about exposing children to fairy tales and nursery rhymes really rubbed me up the wrong way. Writing in the Independent: And while political correctness is generally a good thing if it...
Britain's strongest girl
by Jess McCabe // 7 January 2009, 12:41
Zoe Smith is "Britain's strongest girl" - she's a 14-year-old weightlifter, and broke 98 British records last year. The Telegraph and the Mail have profiled her, because she's been named athlete of the year in her sport by the British...
Shirin Ebadi in trouble
by zohra moosa // 6 January 2009, 21:32
Following, Roja's two posts on the raid and closure of Shirin Ebadi's organization - Defenders of Human Rights Center - in late December on Feministing's community site (here and here), just a quick note to update via the Women's Learning...
The FA Cup. Where women aren't equal at all.
by Kit Roskelly // 6 January 2009, 20:16
It's not often I am moved to graffiti, but the recent posters advertising the FA Cup are seriously tempting me. They show footballers being tackled by milkmen and firemen on the football field. The slogan is 'The FA Cup. Where...
Hooters fires worker for being victim of domestic violence.
by Laura Woodhouse // 6 January 2009, 16:51
Remember how I was saying that the Hooters ethos is bad for its employees and bad for women in general? Well a branch of the breastaurant in Illinois has fired a waitress on the basis that bruises she received as...
Violence against sex workers: will Smith's plans really make a difference?
by Laura Woodhouse // 6 January 2009, 13:00
I must admit that up until now I hadn't made a very good job of following the developments and arguments surrounding Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's prostitution bill, due to be read for the second time in parliament on Monday 12th...
"But was it rape?"
by Jess McCabe // 6 January 2009, 12:23
Sex-advice columnist Dan Savage has a hit podcast, in which listeners call in with their sex and relationship problems, and Dan portions out advice. What with Christmas and everything interrupting my commuting habits, I only just got around to listening...
Drugs, race, gender - and 'family honour'
by zohra moosa // 6 January 2009, 10:23
The BBC reports that 'A growing number of Asian women are using Class A drugs' based on information reported from Nafas, a drugs resource project that primarily targets the Bangladeshi community in Tower Hamlets, London. According to the news report,...
Gender and 'green-collar jobs'
by Jess McCabe // 5 January 2009, 15:50
(I started writing this back in mid-December, but Katherine's post at Feminist Law Professors motivated me to go revive it!) It's not just in the US that people are hoping more 'green' jobs will bolster the economy. Of the 7,000...
First round-up of January!
by Jess McCabe // 5 January 2009, 12:21
What goes into time capsules? Old Feminist considers if the contents are skewed: And I'm wondering how blind the contents of time capsules created today are about sexism and racism and other -isms. What gets included, and what is ignored....
"No-one is ever 'asking for it'"
by Jess McCabe // 4 January 2009, 20:51
I think what speaks to me about these posters is that someone's just printed them out from a word processor, on A4 paper, quite possibly at work or school. I feel like they were produced quickly, in a rage...
New feature: Challenging sex object culture - definitely needed, definitely lively and definitely a key issue for 2009!
by Jess McCabe // 4 January 2009, 20:31
A recent feature in The Times labelled protests against the Miss University London beauty pagaents “old fashioned”. But, argues Sandrine Levêque, if anything campaigns against the objectification of women and girls are more relevant today than ever I should probably...
New review: The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet
by Jess McCabe // 4 January 2009, 19:14
Vandana Singh argues that speculative fiction has revolutionary potential. Jess McCabe reviews her latest collection of short stories "I have said earlier that speculative fiction is about what cannot ever be, or what cannot be as yet. But it is...
Another take on the Facebook breastfeeding protest
by Kit Roskelly // 4 January 2009, 00:17
A Facebook group, 'Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene! (Official petition to Facebook)' is arguing against the social networking site's policy of removing photos of breastfeeding women. (Abby O'Reilly has written a previous post on this here). Pictures of women...
Introducing our latest guest blogger... Kit Roskelly!
by Jess McCabe // 4 January 2009, 00:04
We have a new guest blogger for the New Year! You may remember Kit's name, because from F-Word features on women's right to choose, BDSM and the HPV vaccine. Look out for zir guest posts throughout the next month! Kit...
Because we're supposed to
by Abby O'Reilly // 3 January 2009, 20:16
There's a great post over at Girl with a one-track mind highlighting the downright injustice of expectations placed on women to behave in a certain way through the hilarious use of sarcasm. I'd encourage you to read the full post,...
Protest against Israel's attack on Gaza in London tomorrow
by Jess McCabe // 2 January 2009, 22:45
If you're in London tomorrow, there's a protest against the Israeli government's attack on Gaza, which has so far led to at least 400 deaths - the UN believes at least 100 of the people killed were civilians, according to...
The Sun: Better not copy those celebrities and stop shaving your armpits!
by Jess McCabe // 2 January 2009, 22:06
You couldn't accuse The Sun of being subtle, could you? A number of high profile women, including Beyonce and Maggie Gyllenhaal have apparently appeared in public with a bit of armpit hair. Some of them even did so at fancy-pants...
More Suffragettes
by Jess McCabe // 2 January 2009, 11:19
This sounds great: In association with Scary Little Girls Productions, The Orange Tree, Richmond, presents: SUFFRAGETTES: 100 YEARS A celebration of the work of the Actresses’ Franchise League Saturday 10th January 2009, 11am - 2pm Enjoy the unique chance to...
Festive Message To All Our Readers!
by Kate Smurthwaite // 2 January 2009, 05:46
Enjoy! And if you really enjoy it you could search for it by my name/Cruella/I HATE Anti Wrinkle Cream Adverts on the CurrentTV website and maybe, just maybe, it'll end up on TV. But that is rather shameless self-promotion...
Helen Suzman RIP
by Jess McCabe // 1 January 2009, 22:14
Anti-apartheid campaigner and former South African MP Helen Suzman has died, aged 91. According to The Times' obituary: Mrs Suzman, for years a lone dissenting voice in South Africa’s whites-only Parliament, used her position to visit Nelson Mandela during his...
UK Top Ten Feminist Moments 2008
by Laura Woodhouse // 1 January 2009, 19:40
We thought it'd be nice to shamelessly follow Change.org's lead and compile a list of our top ten feminist moments in 2008, strictly UK based, of course. So without any further ado, and in chronological order (because you can't seriously...
Wendy Hall becomes a dame
by Jess McCabe // 1 January 2009, 19:34
Wendy Hall has been made a dame, one of an extremely long list of people recognised in the New Year's Honours List. Not that I'm exactly keen on the whole concept of all these knighthoods and, um, damehoods (she has,...
First time parents at 70 and 72-years-old
by Abby O'Reilly // 1 January 2009, 18:09
Having written on this subject before I realise that it can be contentious. However, without being deliberately polemical I think the subject of age and childbirth is still worthy of debate. So I’m offering this opening paragraph as my rationale...
New Year's Resolutions, anyone?
by Abby O'Reilly // 1 January 2009, 11:28
Ah, it’s 2009. January 1st. Happy New Year! It’s time for fresh starts and all that (if you buy into the idea that the end of one calendar year and the beginning of another can induce significant changes to your...
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
