Women's Views on News |
- Fighting sexism and racism in pop culture
- Artist Eva Hesse in London
- Universities fail in assault care
- Hip-hop, rap and misogyny
- Wear orange to raise awareness
| Fighting sexism and racism in pop culture Posted: 22 Feb 2013 08:56 AM PST
And has anyone asked them? Marai Larai wrote about having asked them in the Huffington Post recently. Larasi is director of Imkaan, a black feminist organisation dedicated to addressing violence against women and girls, and a co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW). She said that young black and minority ethnic women have consistently voiced their disillusionment and sense of helplessness about the way they are represented in music and other media, have said that they want opportunities to discuss this and to have their concerns addressed. And as those young women have said, there are powerful racist as well as sexist messages throughout the UK’s media, with black and other minority women ‘exoticised’ in very specific ways. We’ve all seen it, really. Any look at or click on porn ads – or even ‘escort’ ads – will feature different women listed by ‘racial’ origin. Sick stuff, and only a couple of unguarded clicks away. And, Larasi pointed out, young people are also aware of the racist-sexist stereotypes being promoted – and profited from. Many of them want to talk about it and to change it; they are being misrepresented and they want to tell their diverse stories using their own ‘voices’ and their own ‘images’. Which is why Imkaan, the EVAW Coalition and Object are launching a new multimedia project, funded by Rosa, ‘the UK fund for women and girls’, which young women will be able to use to build as a platform to highlight and critique sexist and racist music videos. The project aims to make it possible for young women to speak out – and change attitudes through the use of online resources for UK schools and organisations and a national lobbying campaign. A 'music sexism and racism' website is to be set up which will include a space for uploading and sharing videos which portray either positive or negative messages. The website will also include a space for a blog, where young women can write about their experiences and debate relevant issues, and which they will be able to share via Facebook and other social media. The idea is to encourage users to lobby artists, regulators and the music industry directly about videos or songs that are negative, sexist or racist, or any combination thereof. And there will also be apps and other communication tools so that complaints can be made directly to regulators such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ofcom, the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. Who, one would like to think, had been keeping an eye on these issues already. But clearly not. And: has anyone seen any ‘Love Pop Culture Hate Pop Sexism’ artwork? I have not yet found any.
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| Posted: 22 Feb 2013 07:55 AM PST
Eva Hesse, whose work is currently being exhibited in London, was among the first artists of the 1960s to experiment with the fluid contours of the organic world of nature, as well as the simplest of artistic gestures. She explored by way of basic materials how to suggest a wide range of organic associations, psychological moods, and what might be called proto-feminist, sexual innuendo. She also experimented with expressing semi-whimsical states of mind rarely explored in the modern era until her all-too-brief debut. Thus Hesse arrived quickly at a new kind of abstract painting, as well as a kind of so-called “eccentric”, freestanding sculpture. Some observers see in these qualities latent, proto-feminist references to the female body; others find in Hesse’s languid forms expressions of wit, whimsy, and a sense of spontaneous invention with casually found, or “everyday” materials. Eva Hesse was born into a German-Jewish family in Hamburg in January 1936; after the November pogrom or “Kristallnacht” of 1938, she and her sister Helen were sent to a Dutch children’s home. Reunited with her parents in England, she moved with them to New York where she attended New York’s School of Industrial Art , today the High School of Art and Design. While interning at Seventeen as an 18-year-old, Eva was chosen as the subject of a feature article in which she described her artistic calling in no uncertain terms, saying, “For me, being an artist means to see, to observe, to investigate. “It means trying to understand and portray people, their emotions, their strengths and faults. “I paint what I see and feel to express life in all its reality and movement.” Hesse and her husband, sculptor Tom Doyle, left New York to work in Dusseldorf in 1965, and Hesse immersed herself in the German art scene, which was dominated by abstract sculpture. Turning to materials found in a converted studio-factory, she began to explore working with plaster and string, while continuing to produce variations of the grid in her paintings and drawings. The time Hesse spent in Germany amounted to much more than a period of artistic experimentation. In Germany, Hesse was afforded the freedom to exercise her unique ability to manipulate materials, creating captivating, enigmatic works which would form the foundation of her emerging sculptural practice. The results of this German trip – for example ‘Ear in a Pond’, shown here – are being exhibited by Hauser and Wirth at 23 Savile Row in London from 30 January until 9 March. For a preview of her work, click here. Hesse’s work itself was very much part of an equivocal and unique era in history, when artists were seeking new modes of expression in the aftermath of Abstract Expressionism. Her answer to that problem continues to defy easy categorisation. Hesse’s oblique references to the human body succeeded in breathing new life into a former Surrealist current in Europe and the United States in the pre-World War II period; thus Hesse’s work demonstrated to a new, postwar generation how to distill feelings and conceptual references down to a set of essential forms and contours. The languid lines of her signature shapes, at once playful and full of gravitas, are apparent in a wide range of work by late-twentieth century American painters and sculptors, among them Brice Marden, Anish Kapoor, Louise Bourgeois, Martin Puryear, and Bill Jensen. She died in May 1970, at the age of 34, arguably at the very height of her career.  |
| Universities fail in assault care Posted: 22 Feb 2013 05:51 AM PST
An online medical organisation, DrEd, has ranked 24 universities in the UK according to the sexual health services they provide for their students. These 24 – known as the ‘Russell Group‘ universities – were marked using a report card system where they each received a grade ranging from A to F according to their rating in 11 categories. These categories included: the hours in which the sexual health offices operated; whether they accommodated 'drop in' appointments; the location of the services in the university; the quality of sexual health information on site; the availability of condoms and other contraceptives; the quality of on-campus information; special events and testing for students; sexual assault resources; student satisfaction; overall website usability and quality; and gave extra credit marks for exceptionally good ‘other resources’. Data for each of these categories was sourced from online questionnaires sent to the relevant university representatives of sexual health. Researchers also 'mystery shopped' at each university to investigate how helpful their offices were. Nottingham University was ranked at the top of the table, with its sexual health services receiving a 'first' alongside King's College and Bristol University. Cardiff University failed in most of the categories and was consequently at the bottom of the league table. In response, a spokesperson for Cardiff insisted it took the sexual health of its students "very seriously", and that they had “reviewed the report in question and consider its findings inaccurate. “The organisation that carried out this study has been contacted and we hope the full scope of our comprehensive sexual health services will be considered in a revised report," they said. Co-founder of the online doctor’s site, Amit Khutti, admitted he was inspired by a similar operation carried out in the US by condom manufacturer, Trojan. Clinical consultant for DrEd's, Dr Jasper Mordhurst said, "Universities are in a prime position to communicate, educate and encourage testing, and should focus on making sexual health services easy to access, multi-cultural and educational.” “Young people tend to change partners much more than other age groups, so transmission rates of STI’s are much higher," he added. “Across the board, information on websites regarding STI’s and how to obtain treatment was weak and difficult to find, and there was limited advertising around campus of sexual health issues,” he continued. It was also found that if students lived off campus or far away from the university postcode, they were re-directed to the local GUM clinic instead of the student centre. All the universities bar Queen Mary's drew disappointing grades in their response and services provided for sexual assault cases. Marks were awarded according to the quality of sexual assault information that could be found on the website, and the availability of a sexual assault hotline and counselling services. Alarmingly, Exeter, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham, Cardiff, Birmingham, Southampton, and Queen's University Belfast all received Fs for their sexual assault services. The has been considerable concern about sexual assault cases at universities in the UK. In a recent survey, 1 in 7 people admitted that they had experienced a 'serious physical or sexual assault during their time as a student.' It was also found that only 4 per cent of assaulted women had reported such an assault to their university. Of course, with the emergence of a monitor of sexual health services at universities, it is hoped that such alarming figures will improve. Pete Mercer, vice president of the National Union of Students (NUS), said, "Although it probably won’t be a driving factor when choosing university, this [ranking] is just the sort of information that should be at students’ fingertips." The availability and consistency of sexual health services in universities was already a concern, especially with the recent changes in healthcare, Mercer added. “If nothing else, hopefully the Dr Ed report card will increase awareness of student sexual health issues and encourage universities to both take them more seriously and to learn from the best examples already in existence," Mercer said. There are hopes that this report will lead to a more extensive league table system that incorporates all of the UK’s universities.  |
| Posted: 22 Feb 2013 03:33 AM PST
All too often we will come across a song playing on a popular radio station that attempts to reclassify the female entity on so many derogatory and sometimes disturbing levels. Rap and hip-hop music has always had a tendency to represent misogyny at its true best, capturing the essence of women in the oh-so-catchy rhymes of debased and objectified, crude animal forms. The rap thesaurus for ‘woman’ is over-bulging with terms like ‘ho’ and ‘bitches’, but there are other less understood synonyms. The emergence of hip-hop and rap on to the urban music scene has transformed the way we view mainstream music, and our exposure to the genre continues to heavily influence our perceptions of the opposite sex. Music of these genres use women, drugs and gangster violence as their muse, and some artists take the latter to almost devastating extremes, attempting to imitate life through their art and the other way around – for instance, Tupac Shakur and Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace. If the violence described in hip-hop is as real as it can be, then surely by definition, so must be its opinion and treatment of women? In many cases, violence and sex go hand in hand, and echoes the conventions of gangster mentality with women being objects passed around in the same way as guns But in more recent times it seems that violence is no longer a dominant subject matter of hip-hop. “The traditional gangsta-rap narratives don’t hold the grandiose power they used to,” said hip-hop writer and filmmaker Nelson George ('Hip-Hop America'; CB4). Instead, violence is evolving into new forms and finding new outlets, such as video games. “If you’re 17 years old, you don’t want to listen to a guy shooting somebody. You want to be the guy,” George continued. But if this is true, then surely representations of women still cannot have altered greatly, especially if you consider the highly sexualised portrayal of females that appear in most fighting games. Hip-hop artist, Kendrick Lamar agrees that music has evolved away from first person encounters of violence, as was common in 2pac’s day. Lamar’s own critically acclaimed hip-hop album, “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, sees a significant shift in the way violence is portrayed. Instead of being a partaker in it, he chooses to remain a solitary observer, commenting on the violent actions of others. “I turned 20 and realized that life wasn’t getting anyone anywhere,” Lamar said. “You hear stories from the ’80s about people selling dope and becoming millionaires, but in reality it’d just be guys walking around with $70 in their pockets. “I knew I wanted something else.” This move away from direct gang violence is also evident in other contemporary artists such as Drake. Here, ideas and emotions are the forefront of each song, and in turn hidden expressions of love, heartache and longing finally surface. In Drake’s best-selling album, ‘Thank Me Later’, he commends the independent woman, who exudes class, intelligence and refinement. In his track, ‘Fancy’, he raps, “And you don’t do it for the men, men never notice/You just do it for yourself, you’re the fucking coldest/Intelligent too, ooh you’re my sweetheart/I’ve always liked my women book and street smart.” Lil Wayne's, 'Something You Forgot', reveals his heartache and respect for his ex, post break-up: "Please don’t worry ’bout the women I have been with/No engagement can amount to your friendship”. Rapper T.I.'s feel-good 'Got Your Back', is nothing short of true gratitude to the woman he loves: “Just wanna let you that we appreciate it/Everything you do for us on a day to day/And I know we don’t show you all the time but we lucky that you ours/No bouquet of flowers/Could ever show how much we know we need you/We do, all that’s in our power just to please you.” And it doesn’t just stop there. The celebration of the mother figure also indicates a definite removal from the otherwise brazenness of regular hip-hop. Snoop Dogg's, 'I love my Mama', sees him place his mother onto a pedestal: “She the queen in my life, and I’mma make sure she gon’ shine again/She taught me everything”. But it is perhaps Kanye West who gets first prize for his sentimentality and vulnerability in 'Hey Mama', about his late mother. “And you never put no man over me/And I love you for that mommy can’t you see?/Seven years old, caught you with tears in your eyes/Cuz a nigga cheatin, telling you lies, then I started to cry / As we knelt on the kitchen floor / I said mommy I’mma love you till you don’t hurt no more”. Whether or not you agree with the supposedly shifting moods of hip-hop and rap, it seems clear that women in the industry do not feel in any way less dominant or influential than their male counterparts. Artists such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha are notorious for using the stereotype of hip-hop to their advantage. Albeit their songs are still highly sexualized, but it is on their own terms. They view themselves as evolving and strong women with minds and voices of their own. The emergence of female movements combines the free lyricism of rap with liberality of thought. The non-for profit Hip-Hop Sisters Network founded by MC Lyte promotes positive images of women, 'redefining the essence of women through union and empowerment'. And it offers scholarships of up to $100,000 to emerging new artists wishing to break into the competitive music industry. In the end, it all comes down to a matter of opinion whether you believe women can emerge as equal and independent from this pre-dominantly male orientated industry or if they will remain overly sexualized possessions. Jozen Cummings, of the New York Post, insists, “Rap still has a misogyny problem, and many rappers are still speaking ill about women, but at least now we can say it’s the rappers themselves who need to grow up, and not the entire rap genre. “A lot of the best rappers these days either are in love or have been in love, and they’re not afraid to rap about it.”  |
| Wear orange to raise awareness Posted: 22 Feb 2013 01:08 AM PST
The idea is to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls, not only once a year on 25 November – the International Day to End Violence against Women – but every month. What you can do: wear orange on every 25th of the month; invite others to share posts and tweet about the Day; visit and like the Orange Day event page on Facebook; use and share the photo of the UNiTE Ribbon — the new symbol for ending violence against women and girls Launched in 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's 'UNiTE to End Violence against Women' campaign is a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all parts of the world. UNiTE calls on governments, civil society, women's organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing the global pandemic of violence against women and girls. By 2015, UNiTE aims for every country to have adopted and enforced national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls; adopted and implemented multi-sectoral national action plans; strengthened data collection on the prevalence of violence against women and girls; increased public awareness and social mobilisation and addressed sexual violence in conflict. Five goals. UNiTE brings together a host of UN agencies and offices to galvanise action throughout the UN system to prevent violence against women. The campaign is also joining forces with individuals, civil society and governments and attempt to influence laws and polices. As part of this, UN Women has developed a handbook for legislation on violence against women. The handbook aims to provide detailed guidance in support of the adoption and effective implementation of legislation that prevents violence against women, punishes perpetrators and ensures the rights of survivors everywhere. And a Global Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women and Girls has been developed in a partnership including UN Women which provides over 700 practical tools in over 50 languages to assist programmers, policy-makers and advocates working to end violence against women and girls worldwide, including step-by-step guidance for developing legislation. Other UN efforts towards putting an end to violence against women in all its forms are highlighted here. You can’t say no one is trying. Help raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls. And wear orange on the 25th of the month.  |
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