Object.org - Campaigning Against 'Sex-Object Culture'

I discovered Object recently, and then was reminded of them when reading the article in Company Magazine. They are a human rights organisation which campaigns against 'Sex-Object Culture'. They explain that this is a culture where women are increasingly sexualised as 'sex objects' in our media and our every day lives.

The FAQ section is a good one, answering questions such as "But, isn’t it all just a bit of harmless fun?" and "But what if it’s a woman’s choice to be a glamour model or lap dancer?" which are both valid questions.


This fact sheet is also very interesting reading - Here

They hold regular meetings in London:

Meet like-minded others and help plan our next actions!

Dates for our next London meetings (2010):

• Tuesday April 13th
• Tuesday May 11th
• Tuesday June 15th
• Tuesday July 13th

 They also have Feminist Fridays each month.

Definitely worth checking out.

Company Magazine Article - What Does Feminism Mean in 2010?

The May 2010 edition of Company Magazine has an article called "What is Feminism in 2010" which is the first in their new series of Company Reports. It is introduced by an Editor's letter which explains how many people see feminism as somehow dead or irrelevant in 2010 - haven't we all got our rights now? She highlights the fact that "womens studies" is no longer a degree course in the UK, although still is popular in countries like Iran and India. This reminds her that the fight for equal legal rights may be 'won' here in the UK, but is far from over in many countries around the world. She concludes that perhaps feminism now is about ensuring that all women, no matter where they happen to be born, have the freedoms we enjoy.

The article begins with reminding us how far we have come in the last 40 years. It states that despite many changes for the better, feminism is not dead, it has just changed. Apparently there is a new surge of feminists heading this way, and that the new feminism means a better world for both women and men. Feminism now still includes discrimination, but also explores other issues that affect women - for example, our body image and how many females are in power.

Statistics quoted include:

• Women are still paid on average 22.6% less per hour than men
• Only 1 in 5 MPs in the House of Commons are female
• Last year 100,000 women were raped in the UK (with a conviction rate of 6.5%
• Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director (the first woman to ever win)

Ellie Levenson believes that feminism is about making choices. Being able to choose to stay at home, choose to shave, or choose whether to take her husband's name. She even talks about needing to rebrand 'feminism' from the image many have of by-gone days.

It is Company, and it is a light weight article (what else would we expect?) but it raises questions and hopefully encourages more people to consider where they stand on the issues surrounding women around the world.

It also includes 4 Feminist icons for 2010:

Jess McCabe - she is the editor of The F-Word who believes that "there are too many women affected by unequal pay, sexual or domestic violence, and everyday sexism for feminism not to be important."

Sam Roddick - daughter of Anita Roddick and owner of Coco De Mer. Company magazine have called her a pioneer who encourages women to express their sexual desires.

Jessica Velenti - she is the editor of Feministing.com

Anna van Heeswijk - she is campaign coordinator for Object which challenges the objectification of women.

What sort of feminist am I?

I will be honest with you. I am not educated in 'feminism'. I have not read the books nor am I am aware of the key articles I should have read. However, I have always held strong opinions on how I have allowed myself to be treated, and how I see my friends allow others to treat them. My ideas focus largely on the self esteem of women, of how we allow people who 'love' us to treat us, as this is where my passion for female empowerment comes from.

While I googled around for my blog title I came across this article, Feminine Feminism by Laura Wadsworth, which has summarises so much of what I think about being a 'new' feminist.

She opens her article with, "I like pink. I like boys. I get excited over lipstick names - but I'm still a feminist." I know many hold a stereotype of what a feminist looks like, but I fail to see how what I wear defines my beliefs about women. I put effort into how I dress. I won't leave the house without make-up. I love red lipstick. Does this somehow mean I am not a feminist?

"Some people may argue that being girly is only a way of attracting males, thus becoming male dependant - and where's the equality in that? But wanting to feel feminine, to me, is a means of self-confidence."  Now, I won't even go to the corner shop without eyeliner, mascara and blusher. I just prefer how I look and it makes me feel good. It gives me a spring in my step, and makes me happy to hold my head up high. Should I feel this way without make-up? Perhaps, but I don't, so where is the harm? Personally I don't see any.

"Surely this is modern feminism: being proud of our gender and not taking any stick from males, without being anti-men" Wadsworth pretty much sums up my stance with this sentence. I'm not anti-men. But I'm sick of how so many women seem to allow themselves to be treated by men. 

The F Word, with the by-line 'Contemporary Uk Feminism' has an interesting article, Pink 'n' Mix Feminism
describes the differet 'types' of feminism. It lists radical feminists, goddess feminists, second wave and third wave feminists, new wave/power feminists and pop feminist/feminist lite. Catherine Redfern does note of course that there are other types of feminists who don't fit into these neat boxes. Redfern describes herself as a pick 'n' mix feminist, which is something I can relate to. I'm not yet comfortable to label myself as a definite sort of feminist, and perhaps never will be.