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This is the blog created for Group B in MS5102

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When Protesting is Cultural

Female protests are, unfortunately, very often broken down into moments of safety and moments that lack security. Women's March has been successful in organizing wide-scale events that largely met standards in keeping protesters safe. But, there's always going to be a danger for those who protest patriarchal rule. After all, a society ruled by men for as long as anyone can remember is not going to be all that willing to cede any of that power so easily. But, more insidiously, protests against the top-down structure of access, favoring men, will always be met with some vitriol.

That measure of insecurity is perhaps even more profound in a part of the world that is acutely run by patriarchal themes. Iran is a prime example of a dangerous place to hold any sort of protest. The most recent spell of discontent has been met with some of the characteristic behaviors of government and police forces. Again, it's about as dangerous a place to protest as possible. And yet, that sense only heightens when you are a woman who is protesting how you are treated based on your gender. Want to make it a bit more dangerous? Base the protest on resistance to one of the oldest man-made herding mechanisms of all time.

Vida Mohaved, a 31-year-old woman, dared to do so when she stood up and removed her hijab in public, waving it around in defiance like a flag. It was a subtle action to many outside of the Iranian or Islamic world. But, to many of us who've lived in one of those circles, it was an encouraging sign of fight left in the hearts of many oppressed women. To be clear, there are people who don the hijab as a matter of what they consider their own choosing. Yet, there are also countless others who are forced into this herding mechanism, a visible marker that simultaneously others women while policing their bodies.

Mohaved's particular situation is dangerous, evidenced by the official Iranian response to these protests. But, it stands as one of the more remarkable attempts at female protest in recent memory. It's also a good example of just how dangerous it can be to protest something that is so deeply ingrained into the fabric of a country and culture.

For an incredibly long time, rules of Islamic culture, a culture I've seen from the inside, have been used to oppress women into submissive positions within society. Iran is only one example of this, sharing this thread with several other countries.

As dangerous as it all is, it's refreshingly encouraging to see such fight in such intimidating circumstances.

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Trans Exclusionary Marching

As a cisgendered man, the entire notion of Women's March is something I process quite simply: a march in protest of the oppression, subjugation, and violence that women have had to face in society. But, it is the privilege that I have, as a straight cisgender male, that often coincides with my missing of the forest for the sake of the trees. Sure, the signs and chants that make the news have more to do with the empowerment of women and the loss of a democratic process. Yet, the idea of the march, as a whole, is much more than that.

By the very admission of its leaders, Women's March is about an inclusive and peaceful struggle to establish "transformative social change." It's the gathering and cooperation of people from all walks of life, coming together as a women-led force of social and societal good. That term, women-led, is about the only semi-exclusionary thing about the mission statement of Women's March. Frankly, even that seems like a stretch. But, as trans activists who are at a number of these marches all over the world, and you'll hear an entirely different story.

Among the more disheartening examples is that of a particular show of exclusion at a march in Vancouver. A person is pictured holding a sign that reads incredibly transphobic statements, including an indictment of trans identity itself. In fact, it goes as far as using the term "trans ideology." This sort of display belies an ongoing struggle within feminism. Large swaths of people see feminism as a movement of equality, led by women, but meant for all. But, as with any large movement, there are splintered parts that seem bent on diluting its message. Trans-exclusionary radical feminism, or TERF, is one such effort.

The cacophony of anger that comes from the TERFs is one that seems to be determined to divide and conquer the more important message of equality and inclusion. The more widely accepted definition of feminism, its truest and most ideal form, does not exclude the plight and suffering of trans people. As eloquently put by Meredith Talusan, the larger goals of feminism are not supported by this sort of rigid gender-based divide. The elimination of gender discrimination is a complicated process, to be sure. But, it can reasonably be inferred that perhaps the inflexible lines of gender are in fact part of the original problem.

At the same time, there are some very real parallels between this focus on gender/ physical qualities and the postfeminist fixation on the body. Rosalind Gill's work in this regard gives us an interesting context in which to observe the trans-exclusionary thinking of some TERFs. If you take the aforementioned Vancouver marcher as an example, there is a clear assumption made by the sign: trans women are in fact not women. We even see the marcher wearing a "pussy hat." From the sign and its rhetoric to even something as simple as a hat, trans exclusion seems to center on the notion that feminism - and femininity - are pieces of physical essentialism, boiling down to genital differences.

It's a regressive mode of thinking that very clearly and blatantly takes feminism's core goals back several steps. Even more so, it's reasonable to suggest that TERF ideology is merely in existence to try and dilute feminism from the inside, divide and conquer. Seeing as how it's becoming more and more difficult to shut down female protests - and feminist agendas in general - it would make sense that enemies of the movement would try to break it apart from the inside.

Yet, the idea that trans people are not part of the feminist concern is fairly widespread, as evidenced by this brazen sign in Vancouver. In fact, it's only a small sample of a more deeply troubling phenomenon. It is, of course, underreported, but trans people have been facing repression and violence for a very long time. Particularly disheartening is the portion of these attacks that come at the hands of feminist protestors. When noted activist Sylvia Rivera was brutally beaten by a TERF organizer. All of this happened during a feminist rally back in 1973.

Though responding with unspeakable bravery and resolve, Rivera was deeply affected by this incident, even going as far as attempting suicide. Rivera's presence within the feminist movement began to diminish as the self-described drag queen was met with constant hostility for her identity.

The notion of TERFs at female-led protests is a threat to the message that every feminist wants to portray. Blatantly excluding the trans community is harmful for any mission towards equality. More importantly, it serves to only add to the unfathomable amount of struggle and strife the trans community faces as is.

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Negotiating Female Protest

For many people, 2018 is going to be a year to remember. Sure, we say that for plenty of years early, but this is different. At least, it feels different. This year marked an altogether late awakening to the horrors and trials facing women in all walks of life. From seas of cubicles to Hollywood itself, the United States and much of the world began spotlighting the sort of oppressive treatment that comes from men with power at the expense of those without it. The #MeToo movement is, so far, the main element of this, offering up both an expression and evolution of female protest.

No longer are the angry and oppressed limited to shouting in their isolated neighborhoods. If you have an internet question, you have the world. It feels almost cliched to say, but social media has undeniably changed the very nature of protests. For female protests, a particularly dangerous branch of civil disobedience, it's even more critical. Something as seemingly mundane as putting together a hashtag meant possibly capturing national attention.

Yet, a question naturally arises from all of this protest in the name of women's rights: how are people receiving it? Now, before I go any further, it's important to acknowledge that concepts such as the Women's March don't come without some legitimate criticism. With that being said, my specific interest is in the reaction of males. This is where an expression of Stuart Hall's Reception Theory comes to light. Now, there's no reason to discount the fair number of males who have shown to be supportive of female protest and want things to change. Yet, perhaps no element of this theory is more suitable for explaining male reactions than that of a 'negotiated reading."

One of the more troubling patterns when it comes to online reactions is the notion of an apathetic elitism. It's the sort of smugness and intelligenter-than-thou garbage spewed by men who are threatened and, for reasons I cannot begin to explain, some women. This makes up the more extreme end of the spectrum, comprised of some of the more acidic tweets and posts imaginable.

But, somewhere in between the support and vitriol is a more subtle class of men that react with half measures, a negotiated reading of female protests. Often, their reactions include a general agreement that women deserve an equal amount of respect in areas such as the workplace, but that's not the whole picture. There is a growing strand of men who feel like feminists are "too radical" or are "man-hating" and they see this as the problem with modern feminism and female protest as a whole. In fact, what this represents is the negotiated reading of someone who very likely hasn't experienced the fear, anxiety, and stress of being a woman.

It's like agreeing that everyone deserves equal rights, including women, but not really identifying with their shouts and cries when that sentiment is trampled upon. Unfortunately, giving that thought process theoretical context does nothing to make it any less alarming.

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Activists of Convenience

On this blog, the Time’s Up movement was discussed and criticized. I wrote that even though celebrities are trying to give sexual assault some attention, it still isn’t enough. It seems that maybe even these actors are starting to think so as well. On the night of the Academy Awards, no one wore black in order to support the Time’s Up movement. Apparently, changing the color of their gowns a few times was just enough to end sexual assault and harassment in the industry, so why bother doing it again.

Things got even worse that night, when well-known basketball player and alleged rapist Kobe Bryant won an Academy Award and was applauded. Not only that, but Gary Oldman, who has allegedly abused his wife, also won an Academy Award, and he too received applause. I want to be surprised, mortified even, but I think anyone could have predicted this. Of course, I didn’t expect Bryant to win since I didn’t even know he was nominated, but I knew that this sort of situation would take place. When performative activism doesn’t work out, it seems like it’s best to just forget what was even being protested and just enjoy a night of praising people who should be in prison.

There is too much hypocrisy when it comes to celebrities protesting. Even regular, everyday activists seem to have this problem. This blog has talked about the hypocrisy of white women in the women’s marches a few times, but it can be in other spaces as well. The Time’s Up movement may have been performative, but I now know it’s better than nothing. Seeing those celebrities wear black and looking as if they’ve accomplished something amazing wasn’t great, but watching them not do that and then clap for people they should be against was a lot worse. One of the reasons why this whole fiasco isn’t at all surprising is because something similar happened at the Golden Globes. Gary Oldman won again, but so did James Franco, who has tried to hook up with a seventeen-year-old girl. Even though these facts are kind of well-known, at least with Gary Oldman, they were still awarded and praised by their colleagues.

The way I see it, the only way change can happen is if everyone is committed and willing to make a scene. There should’ve been no one at these award shows, a mass absence of big name stars would’ve sent a much stronger message. Moreover, the conversation cannot end, even if it’s died down online. People need to make a big deal out of sexual harassment and inequality in the workplace, Hollywood and everywhere else. Keep talking about it and never let up, and maybe someday the powers that be might get annoyed enough to make something happen or disappear.

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY?

International women’s day is a day where women from around the world come together to celebrate women’s achievements and progress.

The international women’s day in 2018 was about celebrating women’s achievements and progress but not only that, it was a day to also bring awareness of the inequality women face in today’s society.

Figures has shown that the gender pay gap still exist in the UK, women are earning up to 14% less than men in the same job that they do for the same working hours. In January 2018, Ladbrokes, EasyJet and Virgin money revealed pay gaps of over 15% in favour of men. When it comes to gender pay gap it is very much existing in the UK and around the world, 

Furthermore, The gender pay gap has been going on for centuries and recently Channel 4 has also revealed their gender pay gap, Channel 4 pays its female staff almost a quarter less than its male staff on average.

In conclusion, even though it was international women’s day in the UK, it was mainly a day where women were talking about the gender pay gap and how it could stop. In terms how women are doing in society, I would argue that women are doing great, there is a lot of working women doing very well but there is much inequality going on, the gender pay gap needs to stop immediately and we women have to campaign and protest against it until it stops.

BBC News. (2018). Channel 4 has gender pay gap of 24.2%. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43458484 [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].

Hyatt, E. (2018). When is International Women's Day 2018 and how is it celebrated?. [online] The Sun. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/5313371/international-womens-day-2018-theme-history/ [Accessed 20 Mar. 2018].

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The Suffragette Movement

    The suffragette Movement was a movement of several women protesting for women’s rights to vote in public elections.  The move for women to have the vote had really started in 1897 when Millicent Fawcett founded the National Union of Women’s Suffrage  “Suffrage” means the right to vote and that is what women wanted [1] – hence its inclusion in Fawcett’s title. Women’s Suffrage was initially first proposed way back in 1851 but it wasn’t up until the early “19th century that British Women were fully enfranchised”.

In the nineteenth century Women had no place in national politics and were not allowed to vote or get a say in parliament. Men were seen as the more dominant sex and only they were allowed to participate in such things. This was because it was assumed that men would take responsibility in political matters and a women’s role was only seen to be a child bearer and look after the family home.

Nineteenth century feminists talked about "The Cause". This described a movement for women's rights generally, It had no particular political focus, But by the end of the century the issue of “Women’s right to vote” [2] became the main focus of women's struggle for equality. The movement to gain votes for women was made up by two wings the “Suffragists” led by Millicent Fawcett and the “Suffragists” led by Emmeline Pankhurst.

Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst was the leader and activist of the British Suffragette Movement who helped women win the right to vote. In 1999 “Time named Panhurst as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century” stating “ she shaped an idea of women for our time, she shook society in to a new pattern from which there was no going back” [3] Emmeline was criticised a lot for her militant tactics but she believed that a more active organisation with a more active approach would get her message across to the cause she and the other young women in her organisation were fighting for. 

The main motto of the Suffragettes was “deeds not words” and from 1912 onward the Suffragettes became more violent and more militant within their methods of campaigning . Some of these methods became pretty extreme as there was a lot of violence, hunger strikes and Law breaking. Even though Emmeline used more extreme measures her work is recognised today as a “crucial element in achieving women’s right to vote in the United Kingdom”.

This is a short video showing Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragettes during their movement.

Some of Emmelines most famous quotes are...

The Suffragists.. and Milicent Garrett Fawcett

The suffragists were lead by Millicent Garret Fawcett and this was also the largest Suffrage organisation named “The National Union Of Women’s Suffrage Societies” and unlike the Suffragettes it was a non-violent organisation  and believed they would achieve their end by using peaceful tactics such as “non-violent demonstrations, petitions and the lobbying of MPs. Milicent Fawcett belived that if the Suffragist organisation was a peaceful one and deemed to be intelligent and law-abiding then women would prove themselves to be responsible enough to participate in the matters of politics.

The leadership of the suffragists was exclusively middle class but some of the more radical members recognised early on that the movement needed the support of working class women. By 1900 there was already evidence that many Members of Parliament had been won over by the Suffragists, Several Bills in favour of women's suffrage gained considerable support in Parliament, though not enough to pass. The organisation built up supporters in Parliament, but private members' bills to give women the vote all failed. But by 1928, The Representation of the People Act was passed and English women finally received the blanket right to vote, 

This is a short video on the impact that Milicent Fawcett still has in todays society.

These are some of Milicent Fawcett’s most famous quotes

Bibliography

[1]  History Learning Site. (2018). Suffragettes - History Learning Site. [online] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-role-of-british-women-in-the-twentieth-century/suffragettes/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

[2]  Bbc.co.uk. (2018). BBC - Higher Bitesize History - Women's suffrage movement : Revision. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/history/britsuff/suffrage/revision/1/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

[3]  IME.com. (2018). The Agitator EMMELINE PANKHURST. [online] Available at: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,991250,00.html [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

[4]  Bbc.co.uk. (2018). BBC - Higher Bitesize History - Women's suffrage movement : Revision, Page3. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/history/britsuff/suffrage/revision/3/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

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Say no to gender inequality in healthcare!

If only women’s healthcare was taken more seriously like men’s healthcare then this world would be a little much better.

It was only a few weeks ago that women in London all came together to protest against inequality, gender pay gap, sexual harassment in the work place, etc. but it seems like all the protesting and campaigning is falling on deaf ears because there seems to be so much issues regarding women arising with nothing being done about it.

Now focusing on the medical field, women in the medical field are also facing inequality, sexual harassment and their health not being taken seriously as oppose to men’s health.

A 22 year old woman called Karlie Wilkinson had severe period pain and pregnancy like symptoms for  years. She went to the doctor several times but was told that she had ‘’bad period pain’’ and she also claimed that a doctor told her that it was all in her head. After years of excruciating pain she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition that causes tissues that behaves like the lining of the womb to grow outside of the uterus. 

As a woman, I have noticed that our health is quickly dismissed by doctors until it gets very serious or life threatening,which should not be the case. Karlie Wilkinson’s story is one of many stories that women have regarding any health issues they have or have had in the past. When it comes to Men’s health, doctors take it seriously from the start and is never dismissed so why is it that women’s health is not being taken seriously by doctors? This inequality and misogyny in healthcare is outrageous and is costing lives of innocent women around the world.Women already go through a lot on a day to day basis and it is not fair having to dismiss their health, women’s health is just as important as men’s health and should be taken seriously.  

 A recent study by the British Heart Foundation and researchers from the University of Leeds found that women were three times more likely to die from a heart attack within the first year of the study compared to the men in the same study. Researches discovered that women were not receiving the same recommended treatment as men, in part because of the incorrect assessment of the severity of their symptoms. More often, chest pain in women was deemed not as severe as the symptoms experienced by the men and less likely to represent a heart attack. Clearly the doctors were wrong.

As we continue to protest against gender pay gap, let us all remember about the inequality in health care because it is costing lives every year. We all need to be aware of this and not keep silent! Time’s up for inequality in healthcare! 

Andrea Downey, D. (2018). Woman, 22, dismissed by docs with 'crippling period pain that left her bed bound' is diagnosed with endometriosis. [online] The Sun. Available at: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/5171763/woman-22-dismissed-by-docs-with-crippling-period-pain-that-left-her-bed-bound-is-diagnosed-with-endometriosis/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

HuffPost UK. (2018). Time's Up For Gender Inequality In Healthcare. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/time-is-up-for-gender-inequality-in-healthcare_uk_5a7b572ce4b0a0f48092ead8?utm_hp_ref=uk-women [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018]. 

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Protest Coverage

Whenever downtrodden people rise up to protest how they've been treated, one of the more fascinating things to observe is the press coverage. In the United States, the business of broadcast news is particularly fascinating in this regard for its agenda-setting role. Now, it's, of course, no stretch of the imagination for a news organization to place importance on certain stories, for a host of reasons.

With that being said, the coverage afforded to a movement concerning the rampant mistreatment and abuse of women is polarizing. In the United States, it's safe to say that the news industry is about as blatant about its agenda-setting efforts as at any point in recent history. Thanks to this, it's interesting (if not altogether depressing) to see the differences in coverage between providers like Fox and CNN.

The line of ideals and agenda drawn between the liberal left and conservative right becomes more distinguishable when coverage of a human rights issue is involved. the sort of strategy that Fox News employed, going with the commentary services of a US Military Veteran. The one thing that the program gets right here is in making sure it is a woman who comments on a women's march.

There is a sharp contrast with the coverage we see from CNN, following a simple strategy of not outright opposing a movement centered on the mistreatment of women. Connecting it with the one-year anniversary of the 45th presidency, the parallels made are of change that the marchers demand, change that hasn't quite arrived yet. There is little to no real opposition to the marching efforts.

The differences are stark, but they also reveal a complication in the organization of female-led protests. The wider coverage of outlets such as Fox News have proven to be capable of a certain agenda-setting capacity. Their efforts even spread online, reaching even more eyes. This has potentially negative impacts on the public perception of the women's march and other forms of female-led protests.

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Womens Protests That Changed History!

Over the last century there has been a number of protests and women's marches that have made a difference, women have effected change by standing up en masse to injustice. here are a few of the protests that have made a difference within womens rights.

The march follows a long tradition of protests organized by women. Many happened in the US, the March on washington  in support of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1978, and the Million Women March a movement of African American women which took place in Philadelphia in 1997 and Black Lives Matter was spearheaded by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi.

Women’s march on Pretoria: 9 August 1956

This was a womens march To protest against pass laws, which aimed to limit the movement of black people, around 20,000 women marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, on 9 August 1956. The significant gathering  of women and their leaders delivered petitions against the pass laws being extended to women to the government, though the prime minister was not there to receive them. the women was said to have   stood in silence for 30 minutes, and later sang a song which included a variation of the phrase “you strike a woman, you strike a rock”.

Protests against the pass laws took place before the women’s march and continued after, including one which became a massacre  and police opened fire on protestersin Sharpeville in 1960. The pass laws were finally repealed in 1986.

The anniversary of the women’s march is now celebrated as National Women’s Day in the country and the month of August is known as Women’s Month. The march was re-enacted in 2006 for the 50th anniversary, according to the BBC. Last October was the 60th anniversary.

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Time’s Up

When the Me Too movement was starting to get traction, many people believed that it could help survivors of sexual assault or harassment or maybe even solve the many problems that women usually face; however, this wasn’t the case. The Me Too movement may have given people a space to talk about important issues, but there wasn’t any action being done. Of course, having a place to open up about misogyny and how it negatively affects women is very important, but in order for things to change, people need to do something besides discussion. In early January, more than 300 women in Hollywood, from actors to producers, started Time’s Up (Garber, 2018). Time’s Up would focus on not just battling misogyny in Hollywood, but in all industries in the United States, with the help of legal defense team the National Women’s Law Center’s Legal Network for Gender Equity (Garber, 2018).  The team would give survivors of sexual assault or harassment a lawyer that would help with their cases (Garber, 2018).

The Times Up movement has also garnered a lot of support: it has raised more than 10 million dollars in its GoFundMe and many famous actors have given their thumbs up (Garber, 2018). Supporters of the movement also wore black to the Golden Globes as well as the BAFTA awards red carpets. Seeing actors on the BAFTA red carpet wearing black for the movement also shows that while the Times Up movement was supposed to emphasize the systemic struggle of misogyny in the United States, this movement could be global. I appreciate actors and other wealthy people trying to actually do something about sexual harassment, but it also isn’t enough. Wearing black to an already black-tie event doesn’t seem like much of a protest at all. Even though there is actual action being done, the people who started this movement should not pat themselves on the back and quit while they’re ahead. In fact, it’s not even surprising; a lot of people with power tend to just go with what’s popular or trending on Twitter instead of actually caring about issues in society. Yes, it may help certain celebrities with their jobs since it’s important for them to be noticed, but it isn’t really helping the average person. Some actors on the Golden Globes and the BAFTA red carpets took activists with them, which is not a bad start. Hopefully, everyone behind the Times Up movement try to push the boundaries and do more than change their attire’s color.

Reference:

 -          Garber, M. (2018). Is This the Next Step for the #MeToo Movement?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/beyond-metoo-can-times-up-effect-real-change/549482/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2018].

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Take Back the Night

Sexual and domestic violence are rampant and they affect a countless number of people of all genders every day. There is a culture that both excuses and enables these crimes, one that undermines the trauma of survivors. Misogyny is a prevalent evil that lives in most societies, nearly as inescapable as death. It is that misogyny, that demoralization of women, that fosters violence towards them. Furthermore, that same violence is done to men and their suffering is disregarded, if their experience is reported on at all. Both the justice system and the social mores of the world we live in have let survivors down egregiously, destroying their desire for retribution and giving violence more room to grow.

Nevertheless, there are those who refuse to accept this state of things. ‘Take Back the Night’ is both an organization and a series of protests that began as early as the 70s as a result of the prevalent sexual and domestic violence cases of the time. Two independent marches first happened in Philadelphia in 1975 and in Brussels in 1976 where women with candles walked through the night streets. The march is now popular on college campuses as a vigil to those who have been affected by assault and as a protest against that violence. They are held annually all over the world.

The first Take Back the Night march occurred following the murder of Susan Alexander Speeth, a young microbiologist, who was stabbed to death while walking home alone. Cases such as these are innumerable and have no signs of ending. Women and girls everywhere are warned to stay indoors and never go out at night, to behave in ways that won’t invite danger and monitor their every move so as to avoid getting attacked. It is too often the responsibility of the woman or girl to keep herself safe and not be murdered. As if her clothes or manner of walking will keep an attacker at bay.

Take Back the Night marches are heavily attended, more so now more than ever thanks to the advancement of technology and rampant use of social media. It’s safe to assume that the ones who attended the very first protest would be proud of how far their movement has some – or, rather, devastated that women still, after over forty years, have to march for the chance to live without fear of assault.

Hibsch, J. (2010). Students ‘Take Back the Night’ on Columbia streets. [online] Themaneater.com. Available at:https://www.themaneater.com/stories/campus/students-take-back-night[Accessed 20 Feb. 2018].

Takebackthenight.org. (n.d.). Take Back the Night – Shatter the Silence. Stop the Violence.. [online] Available at: https://takebackthenight.org/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2018].

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#MeToo

#Metoo has been known to trend quite a lot on Twitter and other social media websites. The #metoo movement is primarily about giving women a space to talk about sexual assault or any form of harassment they have been through and to even call out famous people, mostly men, who have done these things. Some people may believe that Alyssa Milano started the movement by tweeting about how sexual assault and harassment should be problems that are well known and encouraged anyone who has been through any of it to tweet “#metoo” (Shugerman, 2018). Milano may have started the hashtag, but it was Tarana Burke, a black activist from The Bronx, who started the movement in 2006 (Shugerman, 2018). Even though the movement started more than ten years ago, it got very popular when Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexually harassing many women he worked with, including famous actors (Shugerman, 2018). With the #metoo hashtag being used by celebrities, many other actors found that they too could use it to bring up the sensitive but very important topic of misogyny and sexual assault. Due to the hashtag gaining more popularity, male actors used the opportunity to talk about how sexual violence needs to end (Shugerman, 2018).

Male celebrities have also used the hashtag to talk about how they too have been sexually harassed. Even though the movement started a while ago, it’s important that it’s getting a lot of supporters today. It’s giving many people the chance to open up about their experiences without feeling left out or judged. At least, that’s what some people might feel. Others feel like the movement is too focused on celebrities and not on the average person. Yes, it is great that celebrities have been using this hashtag to talk about what they’ve been through, but they’ll always be more likely to be heard due to their fame. Regular, everyday people don’t really have the luxury of attention or people who are just willing to listen.

There is, of course, the rise of the Times Up legal fund that had been created by high-paying performers and other famous people in Hollywood and funded by them and others to pay for the legal aid those who have gone through sexual assault and harassment. It has been promised to assist all people, not just the rich and famous, but its success is still to be seen.

 Reference:

Shugerman, E. (2018). All you need to know about the Me Too campaign and how it started. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/me-too-facebook-hashtag-why-when-meaning-sexual-harassment-rape-stories-explained-a8005936.html [Accessed 13 Feb. 2018].

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Grab ‘Em By The Hat

One of – if not the – most controversial and recognized symbols of the first Women’s March was the pink hats knitted to look like cat ears. They were dubbed ‘pussyhats’, referencing the 45th president’s famous comments that implied that he would regularly grab women by their genitals. This accessory was huge amongst feminist circles and they were worn by most protestors in last year’s march, creating a sea of pink in aerial photos.

This symbol, however, has been more or less dropped by feminists and the 2018 marches have significantly less of them. The reason for the abandonment of the hats were the result of the discourse surrounding it, especially from the transgender community. The hats were deemed exclusionary and gender-normative, as not all women possess vaginas. Furthermore, not all vaginas are pink, which was the complaint that many feminists of color put forward. This led to discussion which led to in-fighting and a further exacerbation of tensions between white, cisgender feminists and everyone else.

Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh founded the Pussyhat Project after the 2016 election as a way for marchers to show their support for women's rights. Pink was chosen not because of the color of genitals, according to the campaign's website, but because “pink is associated with femininity”.

“We did not choose the color pink as a representation of some people's anatomy,” the website goes on to say. “Anyone who supports women's rights is welcome to wear a Pussyhat. It does not matter if you have a vulva or what color your vulva may be. If a participant wants to create a Pussyhat that reflects the color of her vulva, we support her choice.”

There are those who don’t consider the pussyhats to be exclusionary and see them as empowering. They are certain that it’s solely about a woman taking charge of her body and a response to one of Trump’s most distasteful statements. These arguments, however, come from cisgender feminists (for the most part), therefore, they are not without their biases.

Regardless, pussyhats are longer in the front-lines. There are those who, regardless of what the creators of the hats intended for them to represent, consider them discriminatory and ill-conceived. Different marches in different cities are considering them a problem and keeping them away, and those who continue wear them can no longer do so uncritically, at least not without a fellow protester wondering where their allegiances really lie.

 Miller, A. (2018). 'Exclusive' pink pussyhats being dropped from 2018 Women's March event. [online] Mail Online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5262985/Pussyhats-dropped-2018-Womens-March-events.html [Accessed 14 Feb. 2018].

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Women’s right!!

The hashtag #100years was trending worldwide on twitter, the hashtag generated more than 40,000 tweets; which were about celebrating the women who fought for our (women) right to vote. The suffragettes are a group of strong women who campaigned, fought, and did all things in their power to change the laws saying that women cant vote, now 100 years later, women in Europe can vote and I am forever grateful for the strong women who fought against the law so that I and so many other women can now vote! It is very exciting to know that we have the power to change laws that are oppressing to women, Although we have seen some changes, we as women still have a long battle to fight. Recently, women in Iran have been protesting across the country against the law that makes wearing hijab compulsory; A lot of Iranian women have been protesting by standing on top of telecom boxes and taking their headscarves off and waving them up! The whole protest is mainly about fighting against the law making hijab compulsory and I agree with this protest, no woman should feel forced to wear an hijab if they do not want to, not saying that all women are forced to wear an hijab but what i am saying is that women should have a choice on whether or not if they want to wear an hijab without being arrested or questioned about it. Ever since the protest has taken place, 29 women have been arrested and the Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, described the protests as “childish”, “emotionally charged” and instigated “from outside the country”. According to Iranian police in 2014 they have warned, arrested and taken to court nearly 3.6 million women because of their hijab! I am writing this to state that women from around the world are still being oppressed by the laws and we women from around the world need to come together to fight off oppression and inequality, We have accomplished so much as women but we still have a long way to go together! 

BBC News. (2018). Suffragette tributes shared online. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42959615 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2018].

Mortimer, C. (2018). Iranian police arrest 29 women for throwing off their hijabs. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/world-hijab-day-iran-women-arrest-no-headscarfs-not-wear-throw-off-a8191456.html [Accessed 14 Feb. 2018].

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Vote 100

On February 6th 2018, it had been 100 years since the Representation of the People Act was passed, which gave women the right to vote. Since this was such an important part of history, many people have taken to Twitter and made the hashtag “#100Years” trend worldwide (BBC News, 2018). Thousands of people online have been making tributes to many suffragettes like Emmeline Parkhurst, Christabel Parkhurst, and Emily Davison (BBC News, 2018). It’s great that there are so many people who haven’t forgotten how hard women had to work to get a right we should have had to begin with, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over. Unfortunately, women’s rights still have a long way to go, and we still have more milestones to get to. On Channel 4, there is a commercial that celebrates the century women have had the right to vote, but it also criticizes how society views women as a whole. The narrator talks about how women are scorned for doing things men can do without judgement, like how they can’t curse, or love whoever they want to regardless of gender. It’s always important to celebrate successes made by protests and marches, but we also need to understand that certain issues still aren’t addressed and they really need to be.

It's easier for white women to just stay on the topic of misogyny rather than focus on how other types of oppression can intersect and harm marginalized women. On this blog, we have already discussed how the women’s marches can be divisive and how women that are marginalized due to things other than misogyny can feel left out; however, divisiveness in feminist protests isn’t exactly new. When women were marching for their right to vote, black women were told to march with them, but to stay in the back. 

Also, not a lot of people talk about how racist some of the women’s rights activists were in the 20th century. Many people have heard of Susan B. Anthony, a woman who was well-known for playing a big role in the women’s suffrage movement. In some feminist circles, she is lauded as a brave woman who stuck up to the government’s oppressive laws and even has many “I voted” stickers on her grave. Unfortunately, not a lot of people want to talk about how racist she was. She was quoted to have said that she’d rather cut her arm off than protest for black men to vote. Interestingly, Anthony and other women’s rights activists actually wanted more rights for black people until the 15th Amendment was passed (Fields-White, 2011). The 15th Amendment gave black men the right to vote, “in theory”, but it did not include women (Fields-White, 2011). Because of this, a few white suffragists in the South felt cheated, since they used racism as a way to garner more supporters (Fields-White, 2011).

Marches and protests will always be important to the women’s rights movement, but if we don’t know our history, we’ll just repeat it, and that isn’t the way to progress.

Reference:

BBC News. (2018). Suffragette tributes shared online. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42959615 [Accessed 7 Feb. 2018].

-Fields-White, M. (2011). The Root: How Racism Tainted Women's Suffrage. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134849480/the-root-how-racism-tainted-womens-suffrage [Accessed 7 Feb. 2018].

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A World Where D.Va is Possible

When the Women’s March was just kicking off in Washington and internationally, one of the more interesting protests was a demonstration in Seoul, South Korea. Two thousand people gathered for the ‘Sister March’, but what was more eye-catching, and what made their protest in particular different, was their symbol – Hana Song, also known as D.Va, from the immensely popular video game, Overwatch.

Overwatch is a multi-player online game that was originally released in 2016 to a huge wave of positive reactions and massive success. The game includes a (somewhat) diverse cast of characters – up to 21 “heroes” (at launch) with several different nationalities. One of those characters is D.Va, a young South Korean professional gamer in the year 2060 who retired to become a mech pilot and defend her country.

D.Va struck a chord in women, especially women in gaming, a field that is famously filled with men who often like to protect their boys’ club with all their might. With controversies like Gamergate, a movement that sprang from misogyny and centered upon the exclusion and subjugation of women in the gaming industry, a character like D.Va was sorely needed. The fact that D.Va isn’t white, but a proud South Korean, only further cementing her as a symbol for all women in gaming. So much so, in fact, that the organization that headed the Sister March were called the National D.Va Association, holding up D.Va’s famous bunny symbol on signs and banners and aligning themselves with the hero.

The National D.Va Association is a group of feminist gamers who took this opportunity to highlight gender inequality within the world of gaming and beyond. The group has a huge following on Tumblr and Twitter, and their signs went viral on both sites in January of last year.

A member of the group, known as Nine, explained the reason for the name in a Polygon interview.

“The reason [D.Va] became our mascot is because we thought that in a sexist country like ours, it would be impossible for a person like her to appear, especially after the case of Geguri,” Nine said. Geguri was a publicized case that involved a teenage girl, a pro-gamer, being accused of cheating on Overwatch because of her exemplary scores. The game’s developers, Blizzard Entertainment, cleared her of any hacking or illegal methods.

“[She] was accused of using hacks just because ‘it was impossible for women to play games that well,’ which was, of course, false,” Nine explained. “So we decided to act for feminism under her emblem, so that in 2060, someone like D.Va could actually appear.”

Frank, A. (2017). Overwatch’s gamer girl hero inspires a feminist movement. [online] Polygon. Available at: https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/26/14376436/overwatch-womens-march-dva [Accessed 6 Feb. 2018].

Valenti, J. (2017). Zoe Quinn: after Gamergate, don't 'cede the internet to whoever screams the loudest'. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/24/zoe-quinn-gamergate-online-abuse [Accessed 6 Feb. 2018].

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The Racial Divide in the Women’s March

Female protests don’t get much more well-known or explosive than the Women’s Marches of 2017 and 2018. The very first one, the protest that took over everyone you know’s Twitter feeds for weeks, was the one in the streets of Washington, just a day after Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration – a very loud message for the commander in chief. The march drew thousands of people of all gender identities, but mostly women, to the nation’s capital to protest for a number of causes including reproductive rights, marriage equality, and equal pay. It was the single greatest show of female solidarity of the year, if not in several years.

At least, that’s what they would want you to think. In fact, the Women’s March, at least the first one, was more divisive and exclusionary than one would expect. There were moments of racial tension, moments that harkened back to the racial divides of the suffragette days. It wasn’t the inviting place for all women everywhere that they were selling and the white women who cried out “we’re all women first” made it even less so.

To reference Dyer’s ‘Matter of Whiteness’, these white women who littered the Women’s March and fought for equality whilst being blind to their own privilege were preoccupied by the ‘invisibility of whiteness’. They were unable to even see themselves as white, preferring to consider themselves as women and seeing no reason for women of color to feel differently, because we’re all on the same boat, right?

This is only further exacerbated by the fact that over half of all American white women voted for the man against whom they are protesting. A very small number voted for Clinton, even though we’ve seen many white women sporting ‘I’m With Her’ t-shirts and buttons on Instagram. This can only be further proof of how white supremacy can and often does supersede female unity. This racial position of dominance over women of color is pervasive and dangerous, and no matter how many white protestors quote Malala Yousafzai or wear Black Lives Matter pins, their loyalties to their gender often falls short compared to their desire for continued white dominance.

Grigsby Bates, K. (2017). Race And Feminism: Women's March Recalls The Touchy History. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/01/21/510859909/race-and-feminism-womens-march-recalls-the-touchy-history [Accessed 30 Jan. 2018].