Painful vagina? Your poor husband!

S's experience with vulvar vestibulitis - which makes penetrative sex painful - highlighted the phallocentric medical establishment and limited definitions of sex

Published: 14 March 2010 | Written by S

Feminism and fat

Susie Orbach's classic Fat is a Feminist Issue became suddenly relevant to Helen Dring in the aftermath of a car accident which caused her to lose weight

Published: 31 January 2010 | Written by Helen Dring

A streamlined new me

Laura Thomas talks through her experience going from red mane to shaved head

Published: 13 November 2009 | Written by Laura Thomas

Some body to love

Forget which body-shape is 'fashionable' - women are more than just their bodies, argues Lara Williams

Published: 7 June 2009 | Written by Lara Williams

On kickboxing, women's aggression and self-defence

Jessica Burton explains how kickboxing changed how she feels about her own body and her confidence in the face of harassment and potential violence

Published: 16 May 2009 | Written by Jessica Burton

Breastfeeding: radical, feminist and good for you

Kate Joester explains how breastfeeding helped her understand 'the personal is political'

Published: 24 January 2009 | Written by Kate Joester

Challenging sex object culture: definitely needed, definitely lively and definitely a key issue for 2009!

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

Published: 4 January 2009 | Written by Sandrine Levêque

'Hasn't anybody ever told you a handful is enough?'

Boys groped her, men shouted at her on the street, and girls and women reacted with hostility. Samara Ginsberg reports on growing up with large breasts

Published: 14 December 2008 | Written by Samara Ginsberg

Why feminists shouldn't have to keep mum

A feminist challenge to sexism within the current cult of motherhood is needed, argues Victoria Dutchman-Smith

Published: 4 December 2008 | Written by Victoria Dutchman-Smith

Choice and disability

Are feminist pro-choice politics on selective abortions sidelining the concern of disabled people? Victoria Al-Sharqi argues the case

Published: 1 December 2008 | Written by Victoria Al-Sharqi

'The useless organ'

Maggie Lee tells of the devestating effect her hysterectomy had on her sexuality and more

Published: 2 November 2008 | Written by Maggie Lee

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

Confidential?

We don't expect our reason for seeing a nurse or doctor to be broadcast to the waiting room. But that's exactly what happened to Rachael Halemor, when she wanted to get hold of emergency contraception

Published: 26 October 2008 | Written by Rachael Halemor

HPV vaccination - the debate isn't over yet

St Monica's in Manchester does not want girls vaccinated against HPV on school grounds. Kit Roskelly argues that all schools have a responsibility to protect their pupils' health

Published: 10 October 2008 | Written by Kit Roskelly

What Not To Wear say to your co-worker

How would you feel if you found out the people around you chat about putting you forward for How to Look Good Naked? Kelly Draper knows all too well

Published: 12 August 2008 | Written by Kelly Draper

What a load of wank

Hordes of girls dream of becoming glamour models, but are too embarrassed to even talk about masturbation. Sophie Platt rages against a taboo which only affects girls and women

Published: 14 July 2008 | Written by Sophie Platt

Domestic violence and disabled women

Disabled women are twice as likely to experience domestic violence, and can face a range of additional barriers - from inaccessible shelters onwards, Clare Laxton reports

Published: 12 July 2008 | Written by Clare Laxton

Self harm

Self harm isn't always about cutting, says Nino. Too many girls and women are holding themselves back from fully living

Published: 2 July 2008 | Written by Nino

A slice-by-slice attack on women's right to choose

The campaign to ban women from terminating pregnancies after 20 weeks is only the beginning, says Kit Roskelly

Published: 11 May 2008 | Written by Kit Roskelly

F.A.T.

Girls and women need to give themselves a break from the endless preoccupation with fat, argues Katie Muller

Published: 7 May 2008 | Written by Katie Muller

Abortion and disability - whose voices are heard?

Are disabled women's voices silenced in the abortion debate? asks Clare Laxton

Published: 4 April 2008 | Written by Clare Laxton

How to get an activist movement to keep women in prostitution

What use are sex worker groups that give out condoms and showers, but can't help women who want to exit prostitution? Ekis reports from Barcelona on prostitution and the campaign for legalisation

Published: 16 March 2008 | Written by Ekis

Where the 1967 Abortion Act doesn't apply

Women in Northern Ireland must still cross the water to get an abortion, and even setting out the law in an accessible form is controversial. Siún Carden reports

Published: 13 March 2008 | Written by Siún Carden

'I'm no sad victim. I've seen and survived the darkest side of life'

Amina pairs women who have experienced sexual violence with volunteers who have been through the same ordeal - and turns their perceived 'victim' status on its head. Rachel Bell reports

Published: 10 March 2008 | Written by Rachel Bell

Not a happy birthday

Threatened, intimidated, bullied, violated: this is hospital birth as many mothers experience it. Amity Reed reports on the little-recognised crime of birth rape

Published: 7 March 2008 | Written by Amity Reed

Of corset matters

Corsets were bad news for Victorian women, argues Laurie Penny, and modern incarnations are little better

Published: 2 February 2008 | Written by Laurie Penny

The F Word Podcast - episode three!

Episode three of The F Word podcast - on the tricky topic of pornography - is out now!

Published: 14 January 2008 | Written by Jess McCabe

A period of transition

Helen G considers why some feminists are hostile to transgender women

Published: 2 January 2008 | Written by Helen G

Against censorship

Porn should be reformed, not banned, argues Laurie Penny

Published: 2 January 2008 | Written by Laurie Penny

Glamour models made me sick

Lads' mags are responsible for my eating disorder, says Hannah Whittaker

Published: 2 January 2008 | Written by Hannah Whittaker

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

Filling the hole

The self-hating mindset, if not the medical condition, of anorexia is frighteningly common, argues Katie Muller

Published: 6 December 2007 | Written by Katie Muller

How not to write your policy on transgender rights

A Home Office policy that should help protect transgender civil servants from discrimination? Great news. But, asks Emma Wood, why does it insist that women and men have different brains?

Published: 5 December 2007 | Written by Emma Wood

Feeling a bit uncomfortable?

Who wants to be told they have an incompetent cervix? Jane Purcell reports from the maternity ward

Published: 4 December 2007 | Written by Jane Purcell

The problem with pink

Pink ribbons may raise life-saving funding for breast cancer research. But, Michelle Wright says, October's month of consumer altruism glosses over the reality of the disease - and allows corporations to line their pockets

Published: 31 October 2007 | Written by Michelle Wright

Abortion: still a feminist issue

It is 40 years since abortion was legalised in the UK, yet our right to control our own bodies is still under threat. Irina Lester reports

Published: 6 October 2007 | Written by Irina Lester

The media has failed women's football

Football is supposedly a national obsession. But, from the media's coverage of the women's World Cup, it seems we are only interested when the players are men. Carrie Dunn reports

Published: 5 October 2007 | Written by Carrie Dunn

Sexual healing?

Penetration is not the be-all and end-all of sex, argues Jennifer Drew, so why does the medical establishment seek to pathologise women who just don't like it?

Published: 1 October 2007 | Written by Jennifer Drew

When did it go so tits up?

Facebook has banned photos of breast-feeding. But such images have graced churches and art galleries for hundreds of years. Ruth Moss explores what went wrong

Published: 1 October 2007 | Written by Ruth Moss

Skinny porn

The size-zero debate is just another excuse for judging women's bodies, argues Abi M

Published: 30 August 2007 | Written by Abi M

What does the politics of hair say about modern Britain?

Racism and sexism are intertwined - so feminism must tackle them both head-on, says Veronica Wood-Querales

Published: 30 August 2007 | Written by Veronica Wood-Querales

Can burlesque be feminist?

Burlesque may set feminist alarm-bells ringing, but it can help cultivate a love of your own body, argues Chloe Emmott

Published: 30 August 2007 | Written by Chloe Emmott

Skirting the issue

From tampons with skirts to silky pads, sanitary product manufacturers will try anything to hawk their goods. Harriet Reuter Hapgood reports

Published: 8 August 2007 | Written by Harriet Reuter Hapgood

The F Word podcast: episode one!

Welcome to the first ever F Word podcast!

Published: 9 July 2007 | Written by Jess McCabe

Where the size-zero debate goes awry

On the face of it, the size zero debate seems to address feminist bug-bears. But, argues Laurie Penny, it just creates another set of sexist stereotypes - and obfuscates the truth about eating disorders

Published: 7 July 2007 | Written by Laurie Penny

'Honey! Your vagina needs a mint'

The Vagina Institute purports to provide a public service to curious women. But Samara Ginsberg detects a rather different agenda

Published: 7 July 2007 | Written by Samara Ginsberg

Buying gunk

When the latest anti-aging cream hit the shelves, queues of women scrambled to buy it. But Gemma Wearing argues we should take a step back and think before fronting up the cash

Published: 7 July 2007 | Written by Gemma Wearing

Yummy-mummy or pramface?

Baby-making has become a high-pressure pursuit, argues Abby O'Reilly. Celebrity 'yummy-mummies' only raise the stakes further and obscure the realities of child-birth and motherhood

Published: 7 July 2007 | Written by Abby O'Reilly

Girls Aloud, beauty secrets and lies

A recent magazine article on Girls Aloud proclaimed to "reveal their beauty secrets". But, Michelle Wright argues, all it really did was expose the effects of subscribing to patriarchal, capitalist beauty standards on women's self-esteem

Published: 3 June 2007 | Written by Michelle Wright

First impressions

Feminists are caricatured as ugly and fat by society. Assuming a recruitment drive for swim-suit models is off the table, Samara Ginsberg considers what we can do to fight back

Published: 2 June 2007 | Written by Samara Ginsberg

A feminist guide to ballet

From body image to ultra-femininity, ballet has a bad rap with feminists. Returning to classes for the first time in 15 years, Jess McCabe finds her inner ballerina

Published: 2 June 2007 | Written by Jess McCabe

Could Britney Spears be the feminist icon of our generation?

Britney Spears is a strong, confident, self-made woman - in short, she is a feminist success story. No wonder the tabloid's love affair with her finished so abruptly when she cut off her locks, argues Theadora Jean

Published: 29 March 2007 | Written by Theadora Jean

Flicking the Bean

Thanks to the media and canny advertising agencies, we are surrounded by sexualised images of women. Abby O'Reilly asks why actual female sexual pleasure is still taboo

Published: 1 March 2007 | Written by Abby O'Reilly

Men and Children First

Can women ever achieve parity with men when deep seated views of their physical weakness still remain? Ealasaid Gilfillan argues that linking 'women and children' together is a symptom of the sort of ingrained attitudes that must be challenged if women are to move forwards.

Published: 1 February 2007 | Written by Ealasaid Gilfillan

The New Breastfeeding Taboo

Removing the stigma around breastfeeding has rightly been a worthwhile feminist cause. However, as Cathryn Dagger explains, a dogmatic inflexible view on this issue can lead to a 'holier than thou' attitude in which women who find breastfeeding difficult or painful are made to feel incredibly guilty.

Published: 12 December 2006 | Written by Cathryn Dagger

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.

Published: 29 May 2006 | Written by Lorraine Smith

Keeping It Real

Leonie Brooke examines how attitudes to menstruation still limit women's choices and prevent us from discovering the different options available. She discusses how simply talking about the issues can break down taboos and lead to more freedom of choice for everyone.

Published: 8 April 2006 | Written by Leonie Brooke

Under the Knife

Michelle Wright looks at the increasing normalisation of extreme cosmetic surgery in British culture.

Published: 5 November 2005 | Written by Michelle Wright

Is alcohol really a feminist issue?

The hysteria over women and alcohol is flawed feminism, argues Victoria Dutchman-Smith. Women don't need to be protected from equality - they should be free to make their own choices, just like men.

Published: 18 September 2004 | Written by Victoria Dutchman-Smith

Growing up or giving in?

Ms Razorblade is sick and tired of being told that being a lesbian-feminist and a vegan is boring, prudish, and dull, dull, dull. Is refusing men, meat and porn a sign of immaturity - or is 'growing up' really just giving in?

Published: 20 July 2004 | Written by Ms Razorblade

Contraception and Control - Teenage Rights

Megan argues that teenagers deserve the same control over their bodies and rights to contraception as any other women - without having to go through their parents.

Published: 1 June 2004 | Written by Megan

Reproductive freedom in the UK.

Andy Roberts wonders why so few of us are aware of the threats to reproductive choice in the UK.

Published: 16 June 2003 | Written by Andy Roberts

Dysfunctional, moi? The Myth of Female Sexual Dysfunction and its Medicalisation

Jennifer Drew tears apart the the myth of 'female sexual dysfunction', and looks at how female sexuality is becoming increasingly medicalised.

Published: 16 April 2003 | Written by Jennifer Drew

Responses to Bloody Disgrace

Several responses were received to the article Bloody Disgrace by Lindsay.

Published: 16 April 2003 | Written by Various Authors

Bloody Disgrace

If menstruation isn't a 'curse' anymore, why do we treat it that way? By Lindsay

Published: 16 March 2003 | Written by Lindsay

Bad Mothers

Claire Riley is one woman who's sure she'll never go 'warm, mushy and gaga' over motherhood, and here she argues that feminism needs to bust the 'perfect mother' myth.

Published: 16 September 2002 | Written by Clare Riley

More responses to 'The Biological Clock'

A couple more responses were received to the article The Biological Clock from February 2002. The article had already promted a response in March from Niamh Devlin.

Published: 16 August 2002 | Written by Various Authors

Response to 'The Biological Clock'

Niamh Devlin tells us motherhood rocks, in response to the article The Biological Clock.

Published: 16 March 2002 | Written by Niamh Devlin

The Biological Clock

Catherine Redfern wonders what would convince her to ever have kids.

Published: 16 February 2002 | Written by Catherine Redfern

Response to 'The Signs of Ageing'

Lyn Cicada responds to the article The Signs of Ageing.

Published: 16 October 2001 | Written by Lyn Cicada

The Signs of Ageing

Wrinkles? Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough. Go on then, crows-feet, you don't scare me! I laugh at you! Ha ha ha! Grey? Grey? It's silver, you imbecile. Yes, you too can have this attitude to ageing. Just follow our three step plan, click here. By Catherine Redfern.

Published: 13 June 2001 | Written by Catherine Redfern

Teenagers and Cosmetic Surgery

Why are more and more young women opting for breast implants? Catherine Redfern offers an explanation.

Published: 16 April 2001 | Written by Catherine Redfern

The Morning After

In January Baroness Young tried to stop emergency contraception being sold over the counter in chemists. Here's why the House of Lords were right to reject her arguments, says Catherine Redfern.

Published: 18 March 2001 | Written by Catherine Redfern