Activism
It's all very well to talk about problems, but these feminists are taking action.
Bring the herstory of riot grrrl back into the present
What has happened to the legacy of riot grrrl? asks Heather McIntosh
Published: 3 February 2010 | Written by Heather McIntosh
In our satin tights, fighting for our rights! But are women really natural campaigners?
Stereotypes about women drawn to campaigning because they are natural nurturers do more harm than good, argues Mhairi Guild
Published: 14 January 2010 | Written by Mhairi Guild
On sisterhood
Katie Sutton was called sexist names at Reclaim the Night, amid continued disagreements between feminists over the issue of prostitution/sex work. Where now for sisterhood at these public events? Includes a response by Finn Mackay
Published: 9 December 2009 | Written by Various Authors
A gude cause maks a strong arm
Wisrutta Atthakor reports back from the Gude Cause march through Edinburgh, 100 years to the day since Scottish suffragettes took to the city's streets
Published: 18 November 2009 | Written by Wisrutta Atthakor
Feminism in London 2009
Charlotte Cooper reports back from the capital's second Feminism in London conference
Published: 13 October 2009 | Written by Charlotte Cooper
How to organise a demonstration
In this case study, Carrie Supple explains how she and Louise Morris organised a protest to support Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein - and how you can use the same techniques to organise a demo for your campaign too
Published: 15 September 2009 | Written by Carrie Supple
Turn your back on Page 3
Francine Hoenderkamp explains her campaign to ban Page 3
Published: 13 August 2009 | Written by Francine Hoenderkamp
Stink bombing the beauty pagaent
Protesters from Smash Miss Contest sneaked into the Miss London University beauty contest, releasing stinkbombs and distributing letters to the audience. Sarah Levack reports
Published: 27 April 2009 | Written by Sarah Levack
Piercing the whitening silence
Terese Jonsson calls for all white feminists (herself included) to step up to the plate on racism and white privilege
Published: 16 March 2009 | Written by Terese Jonsson
Grassroots feminism 2.0?
Want to make connections with grassroots feminist activists across borders and languages? Melanie Maddison talks to Red Chidgey about an online project that aims to help us do just that
Published: 3 March 2009 | Written by Melanie Maddison
We're all in this together
Irish and British women must unite in the battle for reproductive rights, argue Ariel Silvera and Sinead Ahern, as they sketch out the history of abortion in Ireland and the UK
Published: 26 October 2008 | Written by Various Authors
Whose feminism is it?
Is feminism reaching women of colour? How about women who didn't go to university, teenage mums, or women who do not have access to the internet? Annika Spalding calls for change
Published: 22 September 2008 | Written by Annika Spalding
Across the porn divide
It's time to end the battle of words, argues Debi Crow
Published: 10 September 2008 | Written by Debi Crow
Million Women Rise - Reflections
Around 5,000 women gathered from across the UK and marched through central London. Although they received no mainstream media attention, the march and rally have since become the subject of much discussion. Louise Livesey talks to some of the people involved...
Published: 23 August 2008 | Written by Louise Livesey
The future of activism
Protests seem to be ignored, so what's a disgruntled feminist to do? Deborah McAlister considers some of the options
Published: 18 July 2008 | Written by Deborah McAlister
Come on Boris, what you got?
Sandrine Levêque from Object reports on the next stage in the campaign to change the licensing laws for lap-dancing clubs
Published: 26 June 2008 | Written by Sandrine Levêque
Stripping the illusion...
Lap-dancing clubs are licensed in the same way as coffee shops. Anji Capes reports on the launch of a campaign to change all that
Published: 3 May 2008 | Written by Anji Capes
Labours left unfinished: third wave feminism
The third wave and riot grrrl may be inspiring, but risk ignoring feminist history and swapping radical action for gigs and zines. In a fiery essay, Red Chidgey poses some difficult questions
Published: 10 March 2008 | Written by Red Chidgey
Why men should care about gender stereotypes
Alex Gibson considers the harm done by stereotypes of men as beer-swilling, emotionally-stunted brutes
Published: 2 February 2008 | Written by Alex Gibson
Breaking out of the mould
Claire Daly interviews the first editor of pioneering feminist magazine Spare Rib
Published: 31 January 2008 | Written by Claire Daly
Miss LSE or Miss-ogyny?
Antonia Strachey explains why she took part in a protest against a beauty contest for students at the London School of Economics
Published: 2 January 2008 | Written by Antonia Strachey
'Who... me? I'm just a housewife'
Feminism is not just for women with high-flying careers, and feminists must do more to engage women who feel alienated from the movement, argues Samantha Jay
Published: 30 September 2007 | Written by Samantha Jay
Edinburgh gets ready to Reclaim the Night
A march through the streets can be a powerful thing for women who are often isolated from other feminists, argues Rebecca Heller, one of the organisers of Edinburgh's Reclaim the Night March planned for 11 October
Published: 29 September 2007 | Written by Rebecca Heller
Rape - is it our fault?
Anti-rape campaigns spend too much time trying to scare the wits out of women, while perpetrators are all but ignored, argues Dwysan Edwards
Published: 2 May 2007 | Written by Dwysan Edwards
Zines: for when mainstream media lets us down
Feminist blogs are blooming, but many women seeking a creative outlet still turn to hand-made zines. This May, the Women's Library in London will play host to Zine Fest!, showcasing women's zines past and present, as well as providing scissor-and-paper classes for aspiring zinesters. Red Chidgey, who is organising this first-of-a-kind event, explains to Cazz Blase why zines still flourish and picks some of her favourites
Published: 29 March 2007 | Written by Cazz Blase
A worthwhile women's day
Fed up with most of the events put on for International Women's Day, Angela Brant found herself at an illuminating talk on women living under religious and oppressive laws
Published: 29 March 2007 | Written by Angela Brant
Suffering in Silence
One woman's story of street harassment turned George Mason from anti-feminist to women's rights advocate. Now, he urges more women to speak out about their experiences
Published: 1 March 2007 | Written by George Mason
Reasons to be Cheerful
It's usually considered that when feminism engages with state institutions, it loses its radical edge and became compromised and weakened. But is that really the case? Jonathan Dean argues that mainstream women's organisations are actually a lot more radical than they are given credit for, and that we can be optimistic about the future of British feminism.
Published: 1 April 2006 | Written by Jonathan Dean
Women Unite, Reclaim the night!
Rachel Bell reports on November's hugely successful Reclaim the Night March in London, and some of the marchers explain their reasons for taking part.
Published: 28 January 2006 | Written by Rachel Bell
Resolution = Revolution!
Wondering how to get more active? Isolated? Stuck for ideas on how to help feminism progress? Not sure what you can do? Well, The F-Word is here to help. We've invited groups and individuals to suggest a stack-load of practical suggestions for activism to take you through 2005.
Published: 13 January 2005 | Written by Various Authors
Where is the F word not an F word?
Feminism in the US is experiencing a massive revival due to Bush's anti-woman policies. Having recently moved to the States from London, Natasha Forrest muses on the differences between UK and US feminism.
Published: 1 June 2004 | Written by Natasha Forrest
Get Your Frock On: An insight into organising a womens' community event
Red Chidgey speaks to Coral and Marie, part of 'The Cailleach Collective', inspirational organisers of Glasgow's 'Frock On!' events.
Published: 19 September 2003 | Written by Red Chidgey
From Greenham to Menwith: The women's peace campaign at Menwith Hill
The spirit of Greenham Common is alive and kicking, says Finn Mackay, a young feminist who lived at the women's peace camp at Menwith Hill during the 90s. Here she explains its history and provides a call to other interested women to get involved.
Published: 19 September 2003 | Written by Finn Mackay
Diet Grrrl: An Example
A reader of The F-Word has kindly allowed us to reproduce the complaint she wrote 'in a moment of anger against Marie Claire magazine'. Be inspired! Grab that pen or send an email and give them a piece of your mind.
Published: 16 August 2002 | Written by Name Supplied
Feminist Discussion and Action Group
I was really intrigued when I read about the Bradford feminist discussion and action group in Marion's zine 'Who's That Bitch?' earlier this year. Although the group no longer exists, Marion, Julia, Sally and Judith, all members, agreed to share with The F-Word some more information about it.
Published: 16 August 2002 | Written by Catherine Redfern
Grrl Activistas - an introduction
Aoife McBride of the campaigning group 'Grrl Activistas' explains the group's aims and how the group started.
Published: 16 May 2002 | Written by Aoife McBride
Letters
A simple example of what you can do with a pen, some paper, and envelope and a stamp. Catherine Redfern gets scribbling.
Published: 16 August 2001 | Written by Catherine Redfern

