‘Can You Really Be a Queer Muslim?’: Intersectionality and the Complexity of Identity
Swapping High Heels for Football Boots: Barbie and the Game of Men’s 5-Aside that Redefined My Feminism
My one criticism of Barbie was the mechanics of its anti-sexism messaging. I felt that pitting a whole society of women against a whole society of men overlooked the way sexism is often systemic rather than individual: it can and does exist without men and women being in direct conflict with one another all the time. When I spoke to a fifteen-year-old family friend about the film, however, it was clear she was in love…
‘God, You’re Not One of Those Feminists, Are You?’: The Filthiest Word in England
I’ve had many a derogatory phrase thrown my way – whore, slut, slag, bimbo. Sometimes guys can even get a little creative. Harlot. Wench. Strumpet. I’ve been called a conniving little bitch, two shags short of a prostitute. But when men really want to hit a girl where it hurts – or, at least, where they think it hurts – they start throwing the ‘f’ word around…
‘Childless, Socially Inept and Hopeless in Relationships’: Who The Messy Woman Is and Why She Isn’t Our Favourite Feminist
I question how and why this narrative of self-destruction, avoidant emotion and boundary-less sex became the romanticised, singular experience for modern women, and why they are only presented as heterosexual and white. How can these narratives encapsulate an entire women’s experience and be titled ‘feminist’ when they are far removed from intersectional storylines?
‘Our Liberation Is Mutual’: Examining the Limitations of White Privilege in Protecting the Female Body and Why Our Feminism Must be Intersectional
So many exclusionary powers have been systemically fused together, so the fight for equality must address them all. It bears self-examining our own failures at inclusion and considering who benefits from that exclusion. Do the powers and privileges we trust actually have our best interest at heart? With whom does our solidarity lie, and will they reciprocate?
‘Man, I Feel Like a Human!’: How Coming Out As Non-Binary Made Me a Better Feminist
I can now see more plainly the gatekeeping that can happen when trans folks want to dive into the personhood they know is theirs, and yet are sometimes told or made to feel as though they’re somehow lacking. Womanhood can be a wonderful, equalising thing – so why are we wasting time denying it to human beings who know who they are? Isn’t womanhood diverse and wonderful enough to allow its ranks to swell beyond the ideas of yesteryear?
‘Feminism Isn’t Feminism Unless It’s Intersectional and Representational’: How Japanese Literature Reignited my Feminist Flame
Some people think that because we had a female prime minister and it’s generally frowned upon to catcall, we live in a post-feminist era. A worrying number of people seem to agree women are more equal than they were before (yes, in some parts of the world) and so feminism is no longer a pressing issue. Immersing myself in the world of contemporary Japanese women helped me realise just how far we have to go to achieve genuine equality for women everywhere…
Recognising My White Woman Privilege and the Toxicity of My Tears
I have witnessed many situations where tears are used to victimise oneself to deflect blame and re-establish white supremacy (whether consciously or subconsciously). These are the tears that a white woman will shed when she feels she is being personally called out for being racist. And yes, I have been that white woman…