Women's Views on News |
- All about Armpits4August
- Review: The New Suffragettes
- The 13-year-old ‘sexual predator’
- Would you want your daughter on this stage?
| Posted: 09 Aug 2013 07:50 AM PDT
In aid of the UK's only charity for sufferers of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Verity, cis and trans women around the country are taking a break from their usual body hair removal regimes all this month. Participants grow underarm hair for one month, and ask friends and family to sponsor them to raise money for Verity. Armpits4August, a campaign which began in August 2012, is frequently likened to "Movember", where men around the world grow moustaches in the month of November to raise awareness and funds for testicular cancer charities. While both campaigns aim to increase public perception and funds, it is fair to say that the public reception of the campaigns couldn't be more different – the reaction from around the internet to the thought of women with actual hair, facial or body, seems to be a range of disgust and indignation. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hereditary condition and a leading cause of female infertility, estimated to affect 5 to 10 per cent of women living in the UK. The onset of symptoms usually occurs between adolescence and mid-twenties and, along with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, the most common symptoms include irregular periods, obesity, and hirsutism – excess hair growth. The high levels of testosterone often associated with the condition not only trigger hair to grow on the body in places more usual – and acceptable – in men (ie the chest, neck and face) but also causes the regrowth to be rapid and hair itself to be coarse, thick and wiry. Sufferers of the condition frequently complain that the condition leaves them feeling "less of a woman", not just because of the way PCOS effects menstruation and the chances of conceiving a child, but also because of society's enforcement of a dichotomous gender system which perpetuates strict feminine beauty ideals and ascribes body hair as a 'masculine' trait. Amy De Luca, a sufferer of PCOS since she was 12 years of age, says that it isn't the condition itself but the judgement, bullying and abuse she receives from others which causes her the greatest anguish: "I would love to no longer feel the need for constant de-fuzzing, but I am terrified of what others will think of me so I shave anyway." So in addition to fund- and consciousness-raising, the campaign has become a vehicle to explore the social stigma attached to female body hair. The campaign organisers hope that Armpits4August can "provide a stimulus and safe space to discuss the complicated, emotion, or embarrassing experiences of body hair that women, trans* and non-binary people often have." They continue: "There is no standard, universal, typical – let alone 'normal' – pattern of body hair for women, men, or anyone else. We think that the display of underarm hair growth every August will be one way of demonstrating this." In a blog written by Armpits4August co-founder Sarah Hickmott, she stresses the societal pressure placed on women to conform to an ideal of femininity which is pervasively reinscribed through images of women whose bodies are completely hairless – except on their heads, of course. "In a society where nearly all of our images of women are completely hairless", she explains, "the…embarrassment felt by many, probably most, women about their body hair is especially strong for women with hirsuitism." Like so many of those that are hailed as "feminist" issues, the crux of the problem often comes down to encouraging choice and acceptance of those that stray – or are forced – from the dominant path. So while so many of us may reflect on the social conditioning that continues to keep us from allowing our body hair to grow, we still keep our razors within daily reach. If Armpit4August still seems like a bridge too far, why not, when you next go to pick up that razor, give the depilation a miss for just one day – who knows, you may find it liberating! For more information about the Armpits4August campaign, click here or check out the Facebook page.  |
| Posted: 09 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT
Refreshingly, there was much positive hullaballoo surrounding the centenary of Emily Wilding Davison's death. Brutally mown down by King George V's horse after running on to the track at the Grand Derby in Epsom on June 8 1913, Davison was a staunch and intelligent campaigner for women's suffrage who had the gumption to hide in a broom cupboard in the Houses of Parliament on census night so that she could claim it as her address. To mark the centenary of Davison's death and inspire a thoughtful reflection on feminism around the globe in the modern age, the UK newspaper The Independent gathered together articles and interviews that celebrated women who are campaigning for equality, often endangering their lives in the process. The result, entitled: 'The New Suffragettes', published in e-book form in July 2013, gives a brief but interesting sketch of various – worldwide – feminist actions. From the off the narratives are powerful. The first chapter, by journalist Yasmin Alibhai- Brown, opens the book with a potted biography of Emily Davison and a discussion of the complacency of women in the UK who do not vote, remarking that 'complacency and indifference remain, and stain the very name of democracy'. Her piece continues by pointing out that 'the stain is made worse by the truth that women in many countries crave and are literally dying for the vote and human dignity'. The first piece's discussion of the gang rape in rural Pakistan – 'one of the worst places on Earth to be a woman' – of then 30 year-old Mukhtar Mai, and her struggle to bring her attackers to justice when village elders had ordered the rape and the authorities were unwilling to prosecute, is illuminating. Femen, who believe that 'their main weapons in the fight against patriarchy in all its forms are their breasts' get a look in, and say: 'we, as women [..] tell him [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to f**k off to his face'. Pussy Riot's activities are also highlighted, with commentary provided by Shaun Walker arguing that 'the women have suffered heavily for a brief performance inside Moscow's biggest cathedral in February last year', drawing attention to the heavy-handed and unjust judicial backlash by Russian authorities. From a very important exploration of the newly politicised women who helped to shape Egypt during the uprising, to the campaign for women's right to drive in Saudi Arabia; from an interview with Iranian women's rights Nobel prize winning activist Shirin Ebadi to Malala Yousafzai's campaign and being shot in the head by the Taliban… it is hard not to highlight each and every personal story contained within the book. In recognition of my failure to do this I suggest that interested parties of both genders, but especially those who argue erroneously that gender equality has been achieved across the globe, read this often distressing but frequently inspiring, e-book. Who knows? You might just change your mind.  |
| The 13-year-old ‘sexual predator’ Posted: 09 Aug 2013 03:30 AM PDT How do you take a 13-year-old victim of sexual abuse and turn her into a ‘sexual predator’? The UK courts can show you how. This is the point we have arrived at: a 13 year old child is sexually assaulted by an adult male and the judge and prosecutor both hold the child responsible for being sexually assaulted. According to Court News UK, the judge labelled the child a “sexual predator” who “egged on” her abuser. Neil Wilson, who is 41 years old, pled guilty and received a suspended sentence despite sexually assaulting a child and being found in possession of extreme pornographic images depicting both child sexual abuse and bestiality. A 41 year old man gets a suspended sentence for assaulting a child and she gets labelled a sexual predator. Anyone who doubts there is a war on women in our culture is suffering from a terminal case of cognitive dissonance. Everyday Victim Blaming have started a petition here. Below is the text: Yesterday, a man walked free from Snaresbrook Crown Court despite pleading guilty to 'sexual activity with a child' after the prosecutor Robert Colover and judge Nigel Peters described the thirteen year-old victim as a “sexual predator”. I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I could have been that 13 year old girl who the judge and prosecutor descrbed as ‘predatory’. Now, I work with other women who have survived similar experiences. I have seen first hand how this kind of victim blaming prevents women from coming forward and protects men who commit these crimes. It's unacceptable that the Crown Prosecutor – the person who this young girl was relying on to help get her justice – used this kind of language in court. It's a sad fact that this kind of attitude is commonplace within society and the legal establishment. We need to make a stand and send a clear message: It's never the child's fault. I'm calling on the Crown Prosecution Service to look at the language used by Robert Colover and meet urgently with our organisation and other groups working with victims of rape and sexual assault to ensure this never happens again. Please sign and share this petition. We need to stand up and protect our children from the violent sexual predators who abuse them and the men support sexual predators by minimising personal responsibility. If you think a 13 year old child is somehow responsible for their sexual abuse, then you are as guilty as the men who perpetrated the violence. You help support a rape culture which dehumanises women and children. You help make it easier for children and women to be sexually abused. This case doesn’t just demonstrate the guilt of Neil Wilson. It demonstrates the complicity of the Crown Prosecution Services and the judge in the continuing sexual abuse of the child. You can make a formal complaint about the low crown court sentence here and a formal judicial complaint here.
POSTSCRIPT: Since I wrote this piece, the Attorney General has agreed to review this case for an unduly lenient sentence. The CPS has also announced that they will not be using this particular prosecuting attorney for any cases involving sexual violence pending a review. There also appears to be a judicial review of the actions of the judge as well. The feminist activism of Everyday Victim Blaming project is directly responsible for this outcome. They lobbied for the national press to notice this miscarriage of justice. They started the petition at change.org and it was supporters of EVB who complained to the Attorney General and CPS. This is a victory for feminism, not that you would notice in the mainstream press who are busy congratulating themselves and David Cameron for doing absolutely nothing.  |
| Would you want your daughter on this stage? Posted: 09 Aug 2013 01:09 AM PDT
As reported in the Huffington Post, the National Union of Students (NUS) has estimated that 20 per cent of women working in lap dancing clubs are students. And a study by the Universities of Kingston and Leeds found that as many as 6 per cent of students are working in sex work industries, 16 per cent are considering it as a real possibility in the future should they need money to survive and one in four personally know another student sex worker. Meanwhile on 20 June this year The Independent ran an article with the title 'Sex for tuition fees: are universities refusing to face up to the facts?' The article presented research led by Dr Ron Roberts, an academic at Kingston University, to the effect that up to £355 million a year could be going into university coffers in fees from students who work in the sex industry. An average of £2.15m per institution. Roberts subsequently blogged that ‘Universities UK, who describe themselves as “the representative organisation for the UK's universities”, had tried to get The Independent to drop the story’. The Independent had printed the story adjacent to a larger piece about IT consultant Mark Lancaster, who had just appeared in court. Lancaster had effectively been conning students by coercing them to have sex with him via the website 'SponsoraScholar', “in exchange for a false offer to finance their studies” – something the police described as part of a “long term plan to identify and abuse vulnerable victims.” Findings from Roberts’ study, Participation in sex work: students’ views’, published online in 2010 had implications for policy. The study argued that ‘future education policy regarding student finances and quality of life issues should take seriously the relationship between student debt and supply routes into the sex industry. ‘There is clearly a relationship developing between sex work, student financial survival strategies and debt. Appropriate responses are required from organisations that represent either students (e.g., the NUS) or those that have a duty of care and benefit from their presence (the universities). ‘Respondents identified several avenues of support which they thought could be provided by these institutions for potential or actual student sex workers. ‘For action to take place, both the NUS and universities must be prepared to acknowledge the issue to a much greater extent than they have to date by adopting a more open and accepting attitude both toward sex work and toward students who feel this is a necessary course of action for them.’ And it was as a direct result of the rising number of student sex workers, and the myriad of problems that they face, that the Student Sex Work Project (SSWP) was set up. It is a three-year project led by Swansea University in partnership with the Terrence Higgins Trust, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board – Integrated Sexual Health Service, the National Union of Students Wales and Newport Film School. The SSWP’s work involves giving talks to students at a number of universities, running a conference to encourage research into the area and launching a website designed to offer information, advice and a safe space for those students who find themselves involved in the sex industry in Wales and the rest of the country. The main aims of the project are to promote better understanding about the issues that student sex workers face, and to provide a space where they can discuss their work free from judgement. The SSWP project hopes that one day the subject of student sex work will be less of a taboo, allowing those in the industry an opportunity to be open with their peers about their work and find the support that they need. For although, as the Huffington Post reports, many of the women felt they enjoyed their work,they constantly reiterated that they would not be choosing this route were they able to find adequate financial support. Student Kirsty-Ann commented: “If my parents knew what I was doing to earn money, they would be horrified. They are all so proud of me, and to hear the truth would break their hearts. “I prefer to say escort rather than prostitute, because somehow it doesn’t sound so bad. But there is no getting away from the fact that men pay me for sex.” And, Roberts said, too little was being done to help students tempted into sex work. "Everybody knows this goes on. They are just burying their heads in the sand. It is a student welfare issue. Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that."  |
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