1 December 2005

One in ten men now pay for sex

The BBC reports that “twice as many men” now pay for sex than did ten years ago. “Surveys of 11,000 British adults in 1990 and 2000 found the rate increased from one in 20 to nearly one in 10 men.”… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 1 December 2005

21 November 2005

Carte Blanche to Rape

Well, hopefully this (covered by Jess earlier) will be the final kick up the arse some people need to make them realise that they are feminists and that feminism is necessary. Seriously - is there any young woman alive in… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 21 November 2005

3 November 2005

The waiting could be over

Can it be done? Could it really be happening, finally? A feminist magazine for the UK? Let’s hope so! Subtext Magazine: “We want to offer an alternative to the women\x92s glossies on the market, a space that\x92s challenging, interesting, supporting… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 3 November 2005

30 October 2005

Countering Anti-Feminist Arguments

I don’t normally post on this blog to simply direct you elsewhere, but this is an exception. Mind the Gap has a brilliant, really interesting post on countering anti-feminist arguments. Go - read! Now! Bravo to Winter Woods for some… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 30 October 2005

26 October 2005

Insult to Injury

Not only has Gordon Ramsay shamelessly ripped off this website’s name for his new show, The F Word , but he has compounded the injury by apparently claiming that “women can’t cook” “Oh Gordon, get off your high horse and… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 26 October 2005

19 September 2005

Reclaim the Night 2005 - spread the word

“Calling all women and girls to march together in protest at the rising number of reported rapes in the UK compared to the falling conviction rate and the fact that women still cannot live their lives without the fear of… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 September 2005

14 September 2005

Objections to Cosmetic Surgery

The Guardian had a depressing article today entitled: Most British women now expect to have cosmetic surgery in their lifetime. How did the ultimate feminist taboo become just another lifestyle choice?. Decca Aitkenhead looks at the media’s involvement in promoting… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 14 September 2005

Setting up a feminist group

Mind the Gap, a group blog and real-life group based in Cardiff, have a really interesting post on the trials and tribulations of setting up a feminist group, covering issues such as whether the group should be affiliated to a… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 14 September 2005

5 September 2005

Miscellenea

Okay, there’s no point pretending any of the following is connected, it’s just a load of stuff I saw recently that I think’s interesting. So here goes! First off, the BBC has apologised after 200 complaints were received about a… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 5 September 2005

14 August 2005

The Editors of Bliss Magazine are hypocrites

Whilst doing some research on body image amongst girls and teenagers, I found this report on the BBC site from January which states that four in ten teenage girls have considered plastic surgery, only 8% were happy with their bodies… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 14 August 2005

8 August 2005

More 'Stupidity Myth' news

Whilst I’m on the subject of prevailing theories about men, if you heard anything about the University of Sheffield study, which, as The Mirror puts it, proves that “men’s brains simply aren’t designed to listen to women’s voices”, you must… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 8 August 2005

Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Gendergeek has an excellent post on recent research on the prevalence of date rape drugs, which found that there were fewer doing the rounds than were originally thought. The research has sparked comments about women’s “responsiblity” when it comes to… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 8 August 2005

23 July 2005

Dove "Real Women" ads hit U.S.

The Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” adverts, which have been over here since April 2004 and again more recently have started to incite debate in the U.S. Msmusings has a good summary of the reaction. When the ads were first… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 23 July 2005

19 July 2005

It's not feminism

Confusing article in the Guardian today entitled “Women getting rich faster than men”. It claims that “women are becoming increasingly more wealthy than men” and “it is estimated that by 2025, women will own 60% of the nation’s personal wealth”…. Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 July 2005

Islamic feminists key to anti-terrorism

Further to Louise’s post below about the London bombings, on Friday last week Johann Hari took an interesting perspective on this in The Independent, in a comment piece called “The best way to undermine the jihadists is to trigger a… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 July 2005

11 July 2005

Woman refused contraception

F Word reader Helen has alerted us to a shocking news item from early July. The BBC reports that in February, a Cardiff couple whose contraception failed went to buy emergency contraception from their local Asda store. The on-duty pharmacist… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 11 July 2005

14 June 2005

Now Who's Being Judgemental?

Julie Bindel, the generally fabulous and well respected feminist founder of Justice for Women, has caused ructions with her recent Guardian piece “Why I hate Vegetarians”. In a bafflingly vitriolic article, she brands vegetarians (except, for some reason, those who… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 14 June 2005

29 May 2005

Actually, I prefer mine warm

There are some new Fosters billboard ads out at the moment showing people trying to keep their lager (sorry guys, but it’s not beer) cold by holding their pint underneath something which casts a shadow. One shows a bride and… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 29 May 2005

22 May 2005

Metro Petty Criticism Corner

(With apologies to Bitch Magazine’s “Jane Petty Criticism Corner”). Ooh, the Metro. Given away free every weekday to stressed out commuters, owned by the Daily Mail / Evening Standard - there’s always some subtle but annoying gender stereotype being perpetuated… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 22 May 2005

11 May 2005

Reach for the Mags, Lads

Last week The Guardian reported that Tesco, one of the UK’s most powerful (and scary) supermarkets, plans to move some men’s magazines (Nuts, Zoo, Front, Loaded, Maxim, FHM) higher up the shelves, after having received complaints about the front covers… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 11 May 2005

4 May 2005

Need More Reasons?

Need even more inspiration to vote? Check out the women who fought for your right to do so, and the ones still fighting today. Yeah, we know the system’s not perfect, but at least take some comfort from the fact… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 4 May 2005

3 May 2005

Hot Child in the City

Over the weekend The Observer ran a story about a trend for girls as young as 5 being taken by their mothers to salons and spas for facial treatments, manicures, pedicures and makeovers. All together now: BLECCH! Apparently, “eyebrow shaping… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 3 May 2005

25 April 2005

Tick, Tock

So, the best age for women to start a family is apparently 34. You have to take all these soundbite generalisations with a pinch of salt of course, but at least it’s more refreshing than those doom laden, backlash inspired,… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 25 April 2005

23 April 2005

Selfridges Boob?

The window displays at Selfridges, Oxford Street, London are “legendary” and “groundbreaking”; they also seem to have somewhat of an obsession with stripping and sex work. A few years ago, in collaboration with Stringfellows, the windows contained live pole dancers;… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 23 April 2005

18 April 2005

Today's Gender Transgressors

I just realised why I stopped reading the METRO; it’s guaranteed to make any commute more infuriating. For starters, Page 3 of today’s issue highlighted the apparently newsworthy fact that at the Bafta TV Awards, David Walliams from Little Britain… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 18 April 2005

16 April 2005

The Dove Effect

Dove have recently brought out a new wave of adverts under the banner of its “Campaign for Real Beauty”. Feminists have been divided over the ads. Some expressed concerns over the term “real women”, the emphasis on selling “firming products”,… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 16 April 2005

Vive La Similarite!

I always thought it was really cool when a close male friend would drop the phrase “male intuition” into conversation. “How’d you guess?” I’d say, and he’d shrug nonchalantly: “Male intuition”. It made me smile, and I appreciated the anti… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 16 April 2005