This week, there has been a flurry of fashion news stories about the American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu being announced as the face of Givenchy's Spring 2014 campaign. While this is great news for those who have been busily pointing out the lack of diversity in mainstream fashion imagery, it's also a bit sad that it's... Continue Reading →
A friend of mine - Lea Rice from The High Tea Cast - posted a link to Laura Bates' article in The Independent on sexist advertising on her Facebook timeline yesterday. The article points out (yet again) why dismissing casual sexism as 'banter' is actually rather harmful, and Lea added the following comment to emphasis... Continue Reading →
I've been on the contraceptive pill since I was 18. It's almost 20 years since I plucked up the courage to ask my family doctor for it but, thanks to the sex and relationship education (SRE) provided by my school, I knew enough to prepare myself and take control of my body. In all those... Continue Reading →
Recently I stumbled across a video of Glee's Chris Colfer telling LGBT kids that 'it gets better'. I can't remember how I found the link, but I soon discovered that this was part of a wider campaign. The It Gets Better project, aims to reassure bullied lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans teenagers that they are... Continue Reading →
Last night I attended an event run by Save the Children to raise awareness of their Give Girls Power campaign. We discovered that, without the right information about sex and adequate contraception, girls are becoming mothers too young and their babies are dying. These girls are also unable to leave gaps between pregnancies and so... Continue Reading →
Gender stereotypes and advertising go together so well, don't they? After all, if people complain about them it just generates more publicity, right? OK, so that may not be how advertising agencies actually work, but sometimes I really do wonder. Over on The Guardian's Women's Blog this week, Bim Adewunmi points out the lack of... Continue Reading →
On Saturday 11th June, thousands of women and men marched through central London to draw attention to the fact that rape is NOT acceptable, clothing is NOT consent and victims should NOT be blamed. The march and rally that followed in Trafalgar Square were positive, peaceful and presented a united force for feminist good. Sadly,... Continue Reading →
As you may have heard, Toronto police officer Michael Sanguinetti told students at Osgoode Hall Law School that, "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised" and, within a few months, Slutwalks had been organised in many cities across Canada and the US in response to his comments. Despite the name,... Continue Reading →
As anyone who wears women's clothing will tell you, it's tricky to know what size to buy. Unlike menswear, which uses actual measurements in its sizing, womenswear garments are assigned an arbitrary number leaving it extremely easy for individual stores to make these sizes to whatever measurements they like. This means that, while I own... Continue Reading →