Women's Views on News |
- Oh Lena, I wish you’d said no to Vogue
- Events 20 – 26 January
- Sports round-up: 13-19 January
- Body respect at every size
| Oh Lena, I wish you’d said no to Vogue Posted: 20 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST
By Victoria Sadler. So it’s official. Lena Dunham is the cover girl for the February issue of American Vogue. But much as I love the woman, I really wish she’d turned the offer down. When it comes to female self-esteem and body image, Vogue is unequivocally part of the problem and not part of the solution. It is the gold standard in an industry that wilfully damages self-esteem to cultivate a dependent market. By being their cover girl, Lena is not just lending them her credibility but also a tacit approval of their methods and behaviour. For someone who speaks so openly about positive body image, Lena’s decision to become Vogue’s cover girl is both extraordinary and worrying. As Beyoncé sings rather scathingly in ‘Pretty Hurts’, the powerful anti-beauty industry anthem from her latest hit album, “Vogue says, ‘thinner is better.’” (I’d love to see Beyoncé back that up with abstaining from any of its covers. We shall see…). But anyway, it’s that powerful unbreakable link that exists between Vogue’s obsession with being thin and how that impacts women it wants to profit from that should concern us. The truth is, if Lena weren’t famous, a most definitely hot property celebrity, there is no way her looks would be welcome in Vogue. But now that she is famous with an army of admiring women, Vogue has jumped on her, desperate to get cool by association. That exchange is not two way. Lena is getting nothing out of doing Vogue. She was cool because she wasn’t the type of woman you see on the pages of beauty magazines. Women love her because she’s real, because she speaks to them, and because they can relate to her. And it’s not as if Lena Dunham needs the coverage. This is a woman who has already won two Golden Globes for her hit series Girls. This is a woman who is judged for her content, for her intelligence, for her talent – and has come out on top. In fact it’s hard to fathom what Lena gets out of doing Vogue at all. If she thinks that she is somehow helping Vogue to evolve, to change, to embrace women who don’t look like models, she is very much mistaken. Vogue is simply appropriating her credibility. Her cover is a token gesture, a superficial offering in exchanging for all of the cool Lena lends to it. It is also a way of harvesting new readers, young women who love Lena but are not Vogue readers. And that’s where it begins. Vogue charms these young women to their pages. Then when their celebrities disappear, all that’s left are the impossible beauties of the modelling world. And so the cycle of self-loathing and dream body image begins for all those readers that picked up the magazine because it had Lena on the cover. Vogue is not averse to harvesting celebrities for its covers and using them for their own benefit. Katy Perry was on the cover of the magazine last year and even though she was already thin, she was honest about the lengths she went to to get “glowing for that cover.” Oprah went on the cover of Vogue in 1998 and was famously ‘asked’ by Anna Wintour to shed 20 pounds for the privilege. Incredibly Oprah agreed. Why she let Anna Wintour diminish her like that I’ll probably never know. But this is the power of Vogue. If media’s most powerful person kowtows to the body fascism of Anna Wintour, what does that say about the emancipation of women? Anyway Oprah shed the weight, did the (airbrushed) cover then promptly put the weight back on. And the pages of Vogue were not filled with plus-size models and ‘real women’ afterwards. No. Vogue simply returned to the double zero dress size diktat it has had for so long. Now I appreciate that Lena has done magazine interviews before and that the accompanying photos were also photo-shopped, but Vogue is different. It doesn’t follow fashion, it leads it. And not only that, its editor is the most powerful person in fashion. We still live in a world where to be invited to be a cover girl for it is a dream come true (just look at how hard Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian lobby for the honour). We should want more for ourselves than this. Female self-esteem cannot begin to improve until Vogue becomes irrelevant. By agreeing to be their cover girl, Lena has just delayed that day of reckoning. I wish she had told Anna Wintour to shove it. Whoever does becomes my hero. Victoria Sadler is a screenwriter and novelist, and an arts and culture blogger for the Huffington Post UK. A version of this article appeared in The Huffington Post on 16 January. Follow her on Twitter.  |
| Posted: 20 Jan 2014 04:03 AM PST
Across the UK: Until 25 January: Sundance Rising viewing parties. On 19 January, the official One Billion Rising 2013 documentary short premiered at Sundance, the preeminent film festival founded by One Billion Rising supporter, Robert Redford. To celebrate this, One Billion Rising invites you to host a Sundance Rising viewing party as a lead up to your 2014 One Billion Rising for Justice events. Gather activists, volunteers, community members, and organisations in houses, campuses, movie theatres, stadiums, auditoriums, parks and malls between 19 January and 25 January to screen the film and help build momentum for this years' initiatives, while honouring last year's accomplishments. The short film is available for free. You can watch it online on YouTube, Vimeo, or download it by clicking here. London: 20 January: Anti-pornography women's consciousness raising meeting at London Action Resource Centre, 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London E1, from 7-9.30pm. Mainstream pornography is increasingly extreme and violent. It is shaping how young men are learning how to have sex, altering women's relationship to our bodies and sexuality and telling youth in general that this is what sex is. What impacts have the world's 5th biggest industry had on our lives as women? 'Alternative pornography' notwithstanding, how do we feel about the reality of the first 30,000 items on any pornography search? Many people are concerned about being women being portrayed as toys, objects, playthings for men's amusement. Many feel that pornography is not harmless or inevitable. Some on the left connect the inexorable rise of pornography with increased state control, violent male economic, political and sexual entitlement and increased political repression generally. Do you have thoughts about this, experiences that you don't normally share or ideas about how to combat pornification? Come along to our consciousness raising session, where we will create a safe, supportive environment where we can speak and be heard about how pornography has affected us individually and collectively. Please note this meeting is for women only. 21 January: Feminism Then and Now at Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building, London School of Economics (LSE), Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A, from 6-7.30pm. With the arrival of The Women's Library at the LSE, the Gender Institute will be running a series of ‘Conversations’ for which audience participation is invited. Feminism is said to be both 'over' and a vibrant contemporary force; feminists from across generations discuss the meaning of feminism and hopes for its future. Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (@y_alibhai) is a journalist and author; Natalie Bennett is the leader of the Green Party; Camille Kumar is an activist on domestic violence faced by black and minority ethnic women; Finn Mackay (@Finn_Mackay) is honorary researcher with the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol and an associate lecturer in sociology at the University of the West of England; Pragna Patel is the director of Southall Black Sisters; Lynne Segal (@lynne_segal) is Anniversary Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at Birkbeck. This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. 22 January: How Equal Are Men and Women at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R, from 6pm. A lively panel debate on the equality of men and women, with Vanessa Feltz, Cristina Odone, Catherine Marcus and Demetri Marchessini, in front of a live audience. The members of the panel have firmly held views, and the debate promises to be stimulating and controversial. Questions will not be taken from the floor. The event will be filmed for a podcast on the marchessini website, so by attending the debate, audience members agree to grant the organisers a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use their images in any way that they want, and in any media worldwide. 25 January: London 70s Sisters invite you to An Afternoon of Connecting with Other Feminists who were active in the 60s, 70s and 80s at The Feminist Library, 5 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1, from 10am-5.30pm. There will be discussions around themes of ageing, ageism, and activism, finding out what existing groups are up to, and the chance to form new ongoing groups if you would like to. No booking required and the event is free, donations to The Feminist Library are welcomed This is an inclusive space and is wheelchair accessible. Until 22 February: Blurred Lines by Nick Payne and Carrie Cracknell at The Shed, National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1. Blurred Lines is a blistering journey through contemporary gender politics. An all-female cast dissect what it means to be a woman today: in the workplace, in cyberspace, on screen, on stage and in relationships. This new piece explores the reality of equality in Britain today, where feminism is a dirty word and pornography is inescapable. Blurred Lines is a fast-paced, razor sharp glimpse of a culture which promised liberation and delivered Robin Thicke. Nick Payne’s plays include Constellations, Wanderlust (Royal Court) and The Same Deep Water As Me (Donmar Warehouse). Carrie Cracknell is Associate Director at the Royal Court Theatre. She was previously Artistic Director of the Gate. Recent work includes A Doll’s House (Young Vic and West End) andWozzeck (ENO). Suitable for 15 years and over. Oxford: 22 January: "Has the Sixties Sexual Revolution 'Screwed' Women?" at The Inner Bookshop, 111 Magdalen Road, Oxford from 7.30-9.30pm. As the NHS begins giving the pill to 13 year-old girls, Parallel Youniversity at Inner Bookshop asks if women/girls have really become ‘liberated’ by the modern Sexual Revolution? Or were women/girls better off before the 60′s Sexual Revolution kicked off? Does this so called Sexual Revolution really only serve men’s purposes? (after all, it was men who led the way in creating it) Are young women/girls now under more pressure to have sex with men/boys? Are they now expected to constantly ‘put out’ for their man (boy) whether they want to or not? And what about gay women: have they benefited from the Sexual Revolution? With Miley and Rihanna wearing the skimpiest of outfits and twerking in front of their young devoted fans we ask if the ‘SlutWalk’ activists are naive in ignoring the consequences of calling for the right of women to wear revealing clothing anytime, anyplace anywhere? Is this real freedom for women? Will this not give men even more reason to treat women as sexual objects? Or have the women donning burqas got it right?: women should be covering up, not uncovering. Where do feminists stand on this? Suggested donation £2. Sheffield: 24 January: One Day Symposium on "Abuse" at The Moot Court, School of Law, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield. To mark the end of the partnership project ‘Prosecuting Sexual Violence’ between the Centre for Criminological Research at Sheffield University and the Gender Health and Justice Unit at the University of Cape Town, the Centre for Criminological Research at the University of Sheffield is hosting a free one day symposium on “Abuse”.  |
| Sports round-up: 13-19 January Posted: 20 Jan 2014 03:09 AM PST
Cricket: England's women built on last week's test victory with a convincing win in their first ODI on 19 January. They are now one win away from retaining the Ashes. Australia batted first and made 209 in their 50 overs. Top scorer was Alex Blackwell with 82 not out. In response England stuttered and were 68-3 before Lydia Greenway with an unbeaten 69 and Arran Brindle on 63 took England to 210 after only 46.5 overs and a seven wicket win. Netball: England beat Jamaica 46-38 in a tight match at the International Netball Tri-Series at Wembley Arena on 17 January. After a fantastic 2013 which saw them end ranked third in the world, England are looking to build up to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year. England centre, Serena Guthrie, is clearly excited by the prospect, and said, “We know we can be genuine contenders for a medal. We’ve always been a team dubbed for coming third and we’re definitely looking to break that historical, stereotyping thinking of England.” They face the second ranked side, New Zealand, in the next match of the series at the Copper Box Arena in the Olympic Park on Monday 20 January. Cycling: Two young British women have taken team sprint bronze at the first day of the track World Cup in Mexico. Victoria Williamson, 20 and Dannielle Khan, 18, who was making her championship debut, took bronze against the French team. Winter Sports: Skeleton: Lizzie Yarnold continued her storming season this week with a fourth World Cup gold in Austria. She now leads the world rankings and has won four golds, two silvers and a bronze during this World Cup season. Yarnold finished 0.32 seconds ahead of the American Noelle Pikus-Pace. She is now 225 points ahead of Pikus-Pace in the race for the overall gold medal. She now has only to finish at next week's event in Germany to be guaranteed the overall gold. Freestyle Skiing: Katie Summerhayes finished second in the slopestyle at the World Cup in Gstaad this week. She finished second to Germany's Lisa Zimmerman. This was the last World Cup event before the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Short –track Speed Skating: Elise Christie came fourth in the 1500m at the short-track European Championships in Dresden on Friday 17 January. Christie is a strong hope for a British medal at the Olympics next month. She will be competing in both the 1,000m (her preferred event) and the 1,500m. The Euros are the last event before the Games take place. Tennis: Laura Robson and Heather Watson both lost in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne this week. Robson's was a disappointing defeat as she went down in straight sets 6-3 6-0 to 18th seed Kirsten Flipkens. It was Robson's first tournament this year after a wrist injury and she was clearly rusty. Watson can be more pleased with her match as she had already won through three rounds of qualifying to take her place in the first round proper. She lost 7-5 3-6 6-3 to 31st seed Daniela Hantuchova. It was a strong performance from the 21 year-old who slipped to 121 in the world this year after contracting glandular fever. Watson was upbeat about her game, and said, “Even though I might be dropping in the rankings, I’m not worried about that. I’ve had a good start to the year, I’ve improved as a player, and it’s been a positive few weeks.” Football: Wales Women's team manager Jarmo Matikainen is to leave his post in March to return to his home in Finland. He has held the post since October 2010. Matikainen is held in great regard and is credited with improving women's football in Wales at all levels. Wales are still trying to qualify for the World Cup in Canada in 2015 and the Welsh FA are currently in negotiation with Matkainen in the hope that he will remain involved with the senior side until the end of the qualifying campaign. Speculation is already rife as to who will take over with current Welsh captain Jess Fishlock being mentioned as a possible successor.  |
| Posted: 20 Jan 2014 01:09 AM PST
If your January has been anything like mine, then no doubt you’ve been surrounded by the standard New Year’s deluge of gym leaflets through the door, diet promotions and articles in glossy mags, and of colleagues and friends bemoaning the Christmas pounds they’ve ‘piled on’ and determinately resolving to shun the biscuit tin. The pressure to diet and lose weight is a year-round phenomenon, particularly if you are female it would seem, but in January it is especially unavoidable. This January we’ve also seen renewed panic in the tabloids over the ‘Obesity Crisis’ and a plastic surgery app aimed at teenage girls. And so the Body Respect event I attended in Coventry last week came as a breath of fresh air and its timing could not have been better. The event was hosted by Coventry Women’s Voices and Coventry Feminists, and was led by Lucy Aphramor, who established the Well Founded organisation. I found the evening hugely inspiring, thought provoking, and at times very moving. Lucy led an interactive workshop which challenged the widely accepted premise that ‘overweight equals unhealthy’, introduced the idea of size as equality issue and spoke about the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach to health care which she advocates. At the start of the evening we were asked to discuss in small groups what Body Respect meant to us, and two clear concepts emerged; that of respect towards our own bodies and respect towards, or from, others. In these conversations, and those which we subsequently had about dieting, people spoke honestly about their own relationships with their bodies; the ease with which some of us can tell others to ‘love their bodies’, but the difficulty we have applying that message to ourselves; the diets we’ve tried that haven’t worked; and the pressure from all sides to be a certain body type – namely the thin, perfectly proportioned ideal constantly shoved in our faces by the media. Despite an overwhelming response that ‘diets don’t work’, when asked to raise our hands if we still go on them, the majority of the women in the room acknowledged they did. Lucy linked this show of hands to the need to value our own embodied experiences and hold dominant narratives, including medical ones, up to scrutiny. I am always humbled by the openness and honesty with which people share at events like this, and the wonderful effect that telling our stories can have. After setting the stage with these discussions Lucy continued to dismantle some commonly held preconceptions about size and health, with some often surprising facts. She started by reminding us that the most consistent effect of dieting (weight loss) over two years is in fact weight gain and that you can tell more about a person’s health by their post-code than by their BMI. If we could promote one thing to improve the health of people in Coventry, she asked, what would it be? Reduce smoking? Increase exercise? Eat healthier food? Finally we got round to it: equality. This was one of the core messages I took away from the event; that social justice is the route to health. Lucy quoted the work of Sir Michael Marmot, which has shown that only 5-25 per cent of health inequalities can be counted for by the ‘big four’: eating, smoking, alcohol and excercise, and that it is living with stigma, oppression and discrimination that causes health inequalities. This led to talking about the stigma, oppression and discrimination which ‘overweight’ people face daily, and the sizeism which has become a very accepted part of our society. From the NHS to tabloid papers the message rings loud and clear; that ‘fat is bad’; and that everybody can, and should be, thin. Today, with the panic over ‘the obesity crisis’, thin people are given the moral high ground and a sense of superiority over those deemed overweight; and increasingly the motivation to lose weight is built on a foundation of shame. In the UK today these messages start early; one mother present talked about the advice given to her 8 year-old daughter at school about eating low fat yoghurts, and the ‘anti-obesity weeks’ held in primary schools across the country. All this flies in the face of actual evidence, which would challenge the direct, simplistic correlation between weight and health, and sustain the assertion that shame and blame only ever increases health inequality. It is interesting to note, as several people highlighted on the night, that whereas things like sexuality, age and race are now protected characteristics, size is not, and attacking people for their size is currently much more culturally acceptable. Size has not been politicised in the same way as these other characteristics, and people who suffer from sizeist abuse or discrimination find they have nowhere to turn. Through her work with the NHS as a dietician, Lucy has seen first hand how this ‘weight first’ approach is broadly applied to all number of ailments as a cure-all. She has also seen how this approach inevitably fails, and is even harmful, which is why her work with patients now is based from a starting point of acceptance and teaches compassion towards oneself as opposed to shame. There was so much more included in the evening than I could hope to capture here and I can’t over-emphasise the impact of hearing a message which so flies in the face of what we are typically told to feel about our bodies. At the end of the evening Lucy asked us to discuss in our groups what a society that embraced body respect would look like. We imagined a world with changed media images, no diet foods or diet ads, a greater range of clothes sizes readily available, kinder and happier people, of an existence free from objectifying comments and body shaming. We’ve got a long way to go, but I feel that the 3o or so people that left the room that night carried with them seeds of body respect that will be sown into their own lives and the lives of those around them. Lucy Aphramor will be doing further Body Respect talks for Coventry Actively Influencing Mental Health Services (AIMHS) in the coming months. For more details see the Well Founded website.  |
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