Articles about Activism
It's all very well to talk about problems, but these feminists are taking action.
Being a young mum: representation and reality
Teenage mums are seen as at best, a problem and, at worst, a burden. Izzy Koksal talks to a young mum about the reality of teenage motherhood
Izzy Koksal // 3 April 2013
Categories: Activism, Family, Features, Interviews, Stereotypes
Caring and living in poverty
Suzanna, a lesbian and single mother, currently on benefits, talks to Anastasia Richardson about the effects of poverty
Anastasia Richardson // 4 February 2013
Categories: Activism, Class, Features, Interviews, Politics and Current Affairs
Lucy Anne-Holmes, heroine of the No More Page 3 campaign
Lucy Holmes has been spearheading the campaign to pressurise The Sun to drop the bare boobs from its Page 3. Sarah Edmonds speaks to Lucy about her inspiration and challenges
Sarah Edmonds // 21 January 2013
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Features, Feminism, Interviews
Feminism: still excluding working class women?
Working class women talk to Pavan Amara about feeling excluded and patronised by a classist feminist movement where middle class voices are still dominating the debate
Pavan Amara // 7 March 2012
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Education, Family, Feminism, Language, Work and Play
Feminist critics of SlutWalk have forgotten that language is not a commodity
SlutWalk is primarily a protest movement against victim-blaming, points out Sophie Jones. Feminist critics of the name have got the wrong end of the stick, she argues
Sophie Jones // 8 June 2011
Why feminists should join the fightback against higher education cuts and fees
Critical skills taught on university humanities courses challenge the world view of students and make them a breeding ground for resistance to the status quo, argues Nola Kay
Nola Kay // 1 April 2011
Categories: Activism, Education, Work and Play
Students offer a glimmer of hope
An encounter with students at an Oxford University festival on gender and equality leaves Lisa Ansell optimistic
Lisa Ansell // 23 January 2011
Categories: Activism
Global feminism(s)?
Feminists in the UK should be learning from women's activism in other countries, says Sarah Jones
Sarah Jones // 12 January 2011
Empowering just one person: An interview with Zoe Margolis
The outspoken feminist and author of Girl With a One Track Mind and Girl With a One Track Mind: Exposed spoke to Catherine Redfern about feminism, sex, activism and writing
Catherine Redfern // 16 September 2010
Categories: Activism, Features, Feminism, Interviews, Sex and Relationships
On campus, feminism wavers
University students are used to applying feminist theory in their academic work, but this fails to transfer out of the classroom, reports Lizzie Dearden
Lizzie Dearden // 29 August 2010
Bring the herstory of riot grrrl back into the present
What has happened to the legacy of riot grrrl? asks Heather McIntosh
Heather McIntosh // 3 February 2010
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Feminism, Herstory, Work and Play
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
Mhairi Guild // 14 January 2010
Categories: Activism, Feminism, Politics and Current Affairs, Stereotypes, Work and Play
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
Various Authors // 9 December 2009
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
Wisrutta Atthakor // 18 November 2009
Feminism in London 2009
Charlotte Cooper reports back from the capital's second Feminism in London conference
Charlotte Cooper // 13 October 2009
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
Carrie Supple // 15 September 2009
Turn your back on Page 3
Francine Hoenderkamp explains her campaign to ban Page 3
Francine Hoenderkamp // 13 August 2009
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media
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
Sarah Levack // 27 April 2009
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Fashion and Image, Feminism
Piercing the whitening silence
Terese Jonsson calls for all white feminists (herself included) to step up to the plate on racism and white privilege
Terese Jonsson // 16 March 2009
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
Melanie Maddison // 3 March 2009
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Feminism, Interviews
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
Various Authors // 26 October 2008
Categories: Activism, Body and Health, Feminism, Politics and Current Affairs
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
Annika Spalding // 22 September 2008
Categories: Activism, Family, Feminism, Racism, Work and Play
Across the porn divide
It's time to end the battle of words, argues Debi Crow
Debi Crow // 10 September 2008
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...
Louise Livesey // 23 August 2008
The future of activism
Protests seem to be ignored, so what's a disgruntled feminist to do? Deborah McAlister considers some of the options
Deborah McAlister // 18 July 2008
Categories: Activism
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
Sandrine Levêque // 26 June 2008
Categories: Activism
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
Anji Capes // 3 May 2008
Categories: Activism, Politics and Current Affairs
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
Red Chidgey // 10 March 2008
Why men should care about gender stereotypes
Alex Gibson considers the harm done by stereotypes of men as beer-swilling, emotionally-stunted brutes
Alex Gibson // 2 February 2008
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Men, Stereotypes
Breaking out of the mould
Claire Daly interviews the first editor of pioneering feminist magazine Spare Rib
Claire Daly // 31 January 2008
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Feminism, Interviews
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
Antonia Strachey // 2 January 2008
Categories: Activism, Body and Health, Culture and Media, Fashion and Image
'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
Samantha Jay // 30 September 2007
Categories: Activism, Family, Feminism, Sex and Relationships, Stereotypes, Work and Play
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
Rebecca Heller // 29 September 2007
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
Dwysan Edwards // 2 May 2007
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
Cazz Blase // 29 March 2007
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Interviews
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
Angela Brant // 29 March 2007
Categories: Activism, Politics and Current Affairs, Violence
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
George Mason // 1 March 2007
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.
Jonathan Dean // 1 April 2006
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.
Rachel Bell // 28 January 2006
Categories: Activism
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.
Various Authors // 13 January 2005
Categories: Activism
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.
Natasha Forrest // 1 June 2004
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.
Red Chidgey // 19 September 2003
Categories: Activism, Interviews
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.
Finn Mackay // 19 September 2003
Categories: Activism
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.
Name Supplied // 16 August 2002
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media
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.
Catherine Redfern // 16 August 2002
Categories: Activism, Interviews
Grrl Activistas - an introduction
Aoife McBride of the campaigning group 'Grrl Activistas' explains the group's aims and how the group started.
Aoife McBride // 16 May 2002
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media, Violence
Letters
A simple example of what you can do with a pen, some paper, and envelope and a stamp. Catherine Redfern gets scribbling.
Catherine Redfern // 16 August 2001
Categories: Activism, Culture and Media
