The Night Rave

  Opinion // Feminism // Politics // Pop Culture  

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Agent Carter

[thenightrave-blog]

Activism or slacktivism? Adriane Reardon looks at how effective social media is as a vehicle for protest.

Check out my article petals

Originally published at farragomagazine.com on February 25, 2016. 

Graphics:  Eloyse McCall

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A River Called Titas (Ritwik Ghatak, 1973)

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Malala Yousafzai Tells Emma Watson: ‘We Should All Be Feminists’

Two of our favorite young feminists sat down to discuss gender equality – and it was awesome.

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Taxing Tamps***

Joe Hockey is considering removing the tax on tampons.

The was first brought to mainstream attention via a petition on communityrun.org:

And how can a bodily function be taxed? Because the government doesn’t consider the tampons and pads we’re forced to buy every few weeks ‘necessary’ enough to be GST-free.

On the other hand, condoms, lubricants, sunscreen and nicotine patches are all tax-free because they are classed as important health goods. But isn’t the reproductive health and hygiene of 10 million Australians important too?

TBH i didn’t know tampons in Australia were taxed before two weeks ago. For an aloof student like me, tax is something i do once a year and get about $10 back by keeping my Officeworks pens receipt. Sooooo what does tax actually mean?

“A tax is a compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions. “ -wiki or something 

Basically whenever i purchase my monthly moxie tamps, part of my money is going to the government. To my knowledge, there appears is a double standard that Female sanitary items are taxed, yet items used by both men AND women are not, just like the petition refers to. 

ABC news has revealed that taking the GST off tampons and sanitary napkins would cost states about $30 million a year in GST funding (Deloitte Access Economics)

So big funds. And big gender inequality. Right?

Well, like everything, its just not that straight forward thinking.

Elenor Robertson from The Guardian has explained that removing the tax from tampons is dealing with only half the problem, and that tampons and pads need to be free, not just cheaper or GST free.

“Reducing the cost of a pack of tampons by a few cents doesn’t do profoundly disadvantaged women many favours. “

And as Robertson explains, there are more effective ways to promote gender equality.

1. Create a targeted campaign to ensure homeless women have access to menstrual supplies,

2. Ensure a critical assessment of how our tax system affects women,

3. Establish a campaign to stop male politicians smirking every time they say the word “tampon”.

lol llollooollol

Seriously, periods are normal, and natural. They are also constant, monthly in fact, so I’m sure women across the globe would appreciate more representation to their menstruation.

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Lillian Bustle// Ted Talk

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#droptheplus

The power of publicity and social media to shape image and identity astounds me. I am constantly compared to models, and reminded daily that i am not conventionally desirable because i am different.

In 2013, i had the pleasure of meeting Stefania Ferrario in Melbourne. She was very kind to help me research for a creative writing piece i was writing at the time. She spoke about saving money for  travelling overseas. She spoke three languages. She was a model.  I admired her confidence, her no-nonsense approach, and her intelligence.

The last few weeks, my Facebook feed blew up about a #droptheplus hasthtag, and a familiar face appeared to represent this campaign. Ms Ferrario comments about labelling models as ‘plus sized’ creates a harmful beauty standard because of it’s explicit tendency to segregate size 12-and-up models from the ‘normal’ smaller sizes promoted within the industry.

#droptheplus demands change, and acquires the term ‘model’ as a profession accepting of all shapes and sizes.

This is brilliant. Because, as Ferrario expresses, it’s time for a change. And a change like this is a positive one.

Spread the word. #droptheplus

[stefaniamodel]

I am a model FULL STOP. Unfortunately in the modelling industry if you’re above a US size 4 you are considered plus size, and so I’m often labelled a ‘plus size’ model. This is NOT empowering. A couple of days ago, Ajay Rochester called the industry to task for its use of the term 'plus size’ by making the point that it is 'harmful’ to call a model of my size (any size for that matter) 'plus’ and 'damaging for the minds of young girls’. I fully support Ajay and agree with her. Let’s have models of ALL shapes, sizes and ethnicities, and drop the misleading labels. I’m NOT proud to be called 'plus’, but I AM proud to be called a 'model’, that is my profession

[thenightrave-blog]

Part 2: Pink is 4 gurls, Blue is 4 boyz.

A few weeks ago, i wrote a blog about coca cola cans and my misinterpretation of colour symbolism resorting to traditional ideas about how women and men should be depicted. A few days ago, I ran past that idea again. Classic.

 For those reading my blog posts, there is a clear recurring theme in my writing;feminism. It’s not that I purposefully plan to write about feminism, but the majority of events that ignite a conflict in my life stem from issues of respect and equality for women and men. However, I had to catch myself at St Kilda festival, where a friend and I were roaming a store of miscellaneous felt goods when she picked up a baby-pink felt giraffe and announced “this is cute!”. And then I said “If I had a daughter, I would totally give that to her.”

We both went silent until my friend soon spoke up again “Or a son?”.

I knew my mistake the second I said it. I can’t believe I said it. I inavertedly announced a traditional belief that pink symbolises girls, like a fifties housewife.  And it was so un-feminist of me. Especially  after critiquing a similar association to this in a different context a few weeks ago.

My attempt to save the moment in a flustered panic seemed desperate. And although my friend and I laughed it off, I was both embarrassed and frustrated by this event.

Embarrassment clearly because I had contradicted my feminist ideals and resorted to a traditional colour scheme which constituted me as a phony #blueisforboys!!!. I thought i was more progressive than that, even when caught in the moment. Frustrated because I realised how easy it seems to juxtapose my feminist values unintentionally. I can’t say ‘ I want to dress my daughter in pink’ without adding ‘and son’ and ‘or blue’ with ‘or any colour ever’ to prove my point.

Wait though, this is starting to sound whiny and weak.  I mean, everything that we say represents who we are, right? And although I will always feel like the president after a controversial affair at question time, and i will occasionally make mistakes, I will try to say what I really mean, because it is important to me. My words must reflect my values of social, economic and political equality of the sexes.

Later that day at St Kilda fest, my friend and I returned to the felt-goods marque when I saw the same pastel-pink soft toy and announced “I would totally get that toy for my son and/or daughter”, knowing it was ok that i had learned and will keep learning.

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thankyou charli xcx, xoxoxo

[thenightrave-blog]

Part 1: Coca Cola and Rash Conclusions

Today at Flinders Street Station, i saw the new line of Coca Cola designs. In a cheap little fridge, i saw this displayed in a random shop...

I saw blue and pink. And drew conclusions. My friends and I began to discuss gender stereotypes, and how Coca Cola were endorsing traditional roles of 'men' and 'women' through the symbolic nature the colours of pink and blue represent. We began to talk about our future children, and how we would dress them in whatever colours we wanted, and not conform to these ridiculous gender-defining categories. I decided to research Coca Cola's new campaign in a feminist rage and prepared myself to bag the crap out of it, only to realise that our critiques were presupposed.

On research, i discovered that Coca Cola, in an effort to reconnect to teens, has launched a new campaign, 'Colour you Summer', embracing the new season with a new colour range to represent vibrancy and entertainment, rather than focussing on flavour and taste.

This realisation made me rethink my ideas and my feminist state of mind; was i becoming too intense? Overly analytical?

It was simply by coincidence that both pink and blue cans were the only ones displayed at that random store today. But its sheer existence made me get my titties in a twad, causing me to raise issues of gender norms and traditions.

I am proud to be surrounded by a culture where gender prejudices are being challenged in my everyday life, but the innocence of this marketing campaign was completely overlooked by its selective and spontaneous publicity.

I sometimes feel like an amateur feminist when i resort to conclusions without fully understanding what's going on. And although the ideas my friends and I discuss are relevant and stimulating, i often question my views on the world because of my rash-behaviour and it's ability to assume everything is anti-this or anti-that.

With that said, i would rather be a feminist and a look like an idiot every now and then, than without.

The cans look pretty tho. Such rainbow. Much spectrum.