Top 5 Friday | Goals for feminism in 2016

Happy New Year!

In the spirit of new year's resolutions, after an unprecedented year of conversation surrounding feminism and gender equality here are top 5 goals for feminists everywhere to consider going forward in 2016.

Bring an end to violence and abuse against transgender women (and the wider community)

Last year seemed like a banner year for the trans community and yet, at the time this Advocate article was published 21 transgender women were killed in the United States alone. Whilst the world on the surface seems more accepting of women such as Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner, the fact still remains transgender women are often ostracized, assaulted abused on a daily basis. My hope for 2016 is that last year's slow acceptance and conversations about the transgender community are the beginnings of of a more active movement and inclusion in talks surrounding feminism.

Have more inclusive conversations on race, gender and sexuality

A.k.a can the media please be done with white cis-het feminism already? From Emma Watson and Taylor Swift to Patricia Arquette and Reese Witherspoon to Jennifer Lawrence and Lena Dunham, the voices of straight white women are still the most prominent in the conversations about feminism and gender equality. Whilst it's obviously good to have high profile women on our sides it's important to remember race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and economic class are all contributing interconnected issues when discussing feminism.

Continue challenging the idea of 'masculinity'

In line with the idea that feminism is supposed to be beneficial to everyone, we need to continue bringing men into the conversation, especially surrounding what it really means to 'be a man'. Toxic masculinity reared its ugly head far too many times this past year in the form of threats to boycott Star Wars and Mad Max because of their strong female protagonists; the abundance of angry white gunmen 'killing for 'Murica'; and the ever present stigma surrounding male mental health.

A push for equal representation in all fields of work

If there's one thing the Forbes 2016 30 under 30 list revealed it's that women still have a loooong way to go in the workplace. Though we continue to fight and thrive in media, entertainment, e-commerce and retail, careers for women in male-dominated fields of STEM, Sports, and Business are still few and far between. 2016 should be the year we continue to challenge the status quo, until gender becomes irrelevant when it comes to finding the best person for the job. At a ground level we should be encouraging girls at school age to stick to their guns if they want to pursue careers in male-dominated industries. After all, in the words of Mark Zuckerberg recently girls should marry the nerd, they should "...be the nerd in their school so they can be the next successful inventor!"

Break out of the echo-chamber of the Internet and start action in real life

More of a personal goal for myself but also something you may want to consider. The fight for an equal society may seem to be progressing online and the tide may seem to be turning on a global scale, but what of the small fights in our own communities and lives? Are we asking for a pay rise? Challenging the misogynistic behaviour of our friends, family and co-workers? Or failing to listen minority groups in our day to day lives? It's very easy to advocate for feminism online but translating that passion into real life can be difficult, but something we should all strive to do.

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Let me know in the comment what your thoughts on these goals are. Are they achievable? How will you further the fight for gender equality in 2016?

'Lad Banter', Assault & Rape Culture At University

[trigger warning: sexual assault & rape]

September is here and millions of students will be either starting or returning back to Universities around the world. Whilst this should be an exciting time of year to make new friends, start afresh and knuckle down to that degree, one issue hangs over the head of many self-identifying women during the first few weeks of term.

A report from the National Union of Students back in 2014 highlighted the ongoing problem at UK Universities with female students experiencing incidents of sexual assault, rape and the sexist behaviour - all of which are commonly associated with with the idea of 'lad culture' and 'banter'.

Some of the results are as follows:

• A quarter of students have experienced unwelcome sexual advances. Women are significantly more likely than men to say they have experienced it.
• Almost one third have had overtly sexual conversations directed at them which make them uncomfortable
• More than a quarter endure unwanted sexual comments about their body
• The same amount have suffered unwelcome sexual advances inappropriate touching and groping
• Two thirds say that they have seen fellow students experience, sexual comments and overtly sexual conversations
• Just under one third (30%) cite verbal harassment
• Almost two thirds said they heard rape /sexual assault jokes on campuses
• Three quarters of students are aware of online communities such as ‘unilad’ and ‘lads bible’, with over half agreeing that these contribute towards an unfair representation of women
• More than one third of respondents were aware of promotional materials around university that have sexualised images of women, with over two in five individuals agreeing that the images make them feel uncomfortable
• Over half believe that women students are more vulnerable than men students

What saddens me most about these results is that they're are:

1. not surprising in the slightest; and
2. the attitudes haven't changed in the (almost) 5 years since I was a Fresher. 

The idea behind Lad culture and banter seems to follow the 'pack' mentality similar to that of Fraternities in America where drinking, swearing and sex seem to be a common theme for bonding. Whilst I have no right to judge these activities and the people that engage in them, what has innocently started as a descriptor for 'boisterous' boys in athletics clubs and societies, banter has become an umbrella term for a whole host of unacceptable sexist, homophobic, racist, and misogynistic behaviour. The true problem though is the fact that such behaviour is tolerated under the premise of 'boy will be boys'.

My own personal experience definitely mirrors this and I remember nights out at University in clubs and bars spent wrestling myself away from unwanted male attention and shoving guys away from my vulnerable friends. What is so wrong is that this type of behaviour felt normal. As a female fresher, I had been pre-warned that this kind of stuff might happen, that I would need to make sure I was fairly sober if my friends weren't, or that I needed to watch my drink, or tolerate the sexist comments made by the guys on my course towards women. Looking back this lasse-fair attitude towards 'the bantz' is so wrong and I'm angry at myself for brushing off such vile behaviour.

What's may have changed now is visibility. Arguably more cases are being reported as awareness of the problem spreads. But what is being done to stop this behaviour happening in the first place? Well, not much, but there are baby steps.

With the problems highlighted in the NUS survey, the UK Government is now getting more involved, ordering an inquiry into sexist culture at Universities and proposing police should be involved in cases of assault and rape. The suggestions make total sense and I wonder whether this so-called crack down is encouraging but does it come too late once 'lads' hit Fresher's Week? Surely by that point the 'banter' is ingrained?

The inquiry coupled with the survey results only show how far we, sadly, still have to go to protect young women from sexual assault and rape. Similar crackdowns in in the US with Fraternity culture remind us that this is not just confined to the UK or is a University-only problem. A societal shift is still needed in the way we handle 'lad culture'.

In terms of shifting this view the first step is always the hardest - calling out behaviour when it happens perhaps as early secondary school and College. By opening up a conversation before it hits the University halls and making this kind of behaviour to socially unacceptable to people is obviously an ideal start but that takes time.

Right now the best route is to keep talking about this topic. Vocalising concerns is the only way attitudes change. We have to keep shouting above the noise until that noise finally turns into action.

Top 5 Friday | Why Sense8 Is A Feminist's Dream Show

Hailed as a progressive's dream, Sense8 revolves around eight strangers various corners of the globe, who after a violent vision suddenly find themselves mentally and emotionally linked. The show explores a wealth of ideas surrounding culture, identity, racism, sexism, sexuality and ultimately what makes us human, all alongside an engrossing sci-fi-esque plotline (brought to you by the team that created The Matrix).

If you, like me, are continually finding yourselves frustrated with the lack of representation and decent female-centric stories in your current TV fixes this show could be for you. Here's why...

1. A transgender actress playing a transgender woman:

I feel like this shouldn't be an absolute no-brainer in 2015 seeing as Laverne Cox is quite possibly one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now, but seeing as we have Elle Fanning and Eddie Redmayne both playing transgender roles even though they are cis-gendered actors, this feels like a big breakthrough (If you need any reason why this issue is so frustrating The Mary Sue have a fantastic article on Redmayne's casting).

Not only is the character, Nomi, played by trans-actress Jamie Clayton she is also one of the show's core protagonists. Her story is heavily focused on within the first few episodes and she continues to play one of the most vital characters in the series.

2. Female characters in male-dominated fields: 

Whether it's Nomi's role computer hacker, Kala's career as a university educated doctor, Sun's former role as a CFO (and underground kickboxing champion) and even (arguably) Riley in the DJ world, all of the women in Sense8 operate in fairly male-dominated industries. What great about their jobs is that it's never the focus. There's no question as to why women have ended up in the roles they have because other than their skill and intelligence.

3. Men are allowed to be sensitive, woman are allowed to kick butts

Not only are the women in the show allowed to be shown as heroes, but ideas around masculinity and emotion are also explored. Lito, the in-the-closet Latino action movie actor, is a perfect example on this, but all of the male roles within the show are given equal emotional breadth. As important as it is to show strong women, true equally allows men to portray their emotions without any irony.

4. Intersectional representation:

Diversity! So much diversity! Four of Sense8's protagonists are people of colour, with two of them women of colour - and this is only the lead cast (I could write an entire blog post on how awesome the secondary characters are too).

The poc ratio so good compared to other TV shows and the show explores different cultures and customs in a very non-judgmental way. With the added advantage of being shot in Nairobi, Soeul and Mumbai, we get to see the world through the eyes of the core cast without the need for cultural appropriation and very little stereotyping.

5. A broad definition of what makes a 'strong' female character:

I've written about my aggravation with the portrayal of strong women in the media as female warriors before, but Sense8 has given me a little hope that it is possible to write women who aren't solely war machines. Riley's character is great example here. She is wracked with PTSD and spends most of the show living in fear of the past. Does this make her any less of a character than Sun (pretty much the group's hit-woman in times of need)? Nope. Her inner determination is what makes her a strong character. Sun is also unconfined to the warrior woman stereotype. Though she fights with her fists, she also has a quiet and foreboding intelligence about her.

Opinion | Why Women-Only Carriages Won't Solve Harassment

*image via Pexels

In recent interviews as a contender for the Labour leadership, Jeremy Corbyn has obviously be asked to comment on women's issues. One such topic that's gain much traction recently has been the suggestion to implement women-only carriages to combat the rising number of sexual offences on public transport.

Though obviously nothing has been put into place, Corbyn has said that he 

"...would consult with women and open it up to hear their views on whether women-only carriages would be welcome - and also if piloting this at times and [on] modes of transport where harassment is reported most frequently would be of interest."

Though I applaud Corbyn for opening up the discussion on street harassment (no matter what his intentions or underlying motives are) there are a number of reasons why I believe women-only carriages will cause more problems than it solves.

I'm not the only person who feels as though a 'woman-only' carriage on modes of transport such as the Tube in London would be a step back and doesn't actually address the problem off street harassment. Sure, it acknowledges that it happens but other than physically moving women a foot away from a potential attacker nothing happens. The threat of violence is still there.

Another issue I have here is the question as to whether these carriages all inclusive? 

Unless Corbyn, the UK government and transport companies choose to include transgender women and non-binary people in their discussions, we can only assume these 'women-only' carriages are really 'cis-gendered women only carriages'. Which could lead to transgender and non-binary (yet biologically female) women being mis-directed into other carriages and excluded from a safe space because of their appearance. Which in turn ignores the fact that across the world there's an epidemic of violence against transgender women.

If we use the same logic we should also think about harassment experienced by those who identify with other sexualities as well. Should hate crimes be treated in the same way? If so those of a certain ethnicity could warrant their own 'safe spaces' too. And though a small number of cis-gendered men are, normally, the people most likely to attack and harass women what about the small minority of women who are ready and willing to resort to violence and sexually harass both women and men.

Circling back to my main problem with this suggestion - is should we not strive to prosecute those who are at fault in these cases?

Everyday Sexism campaigner Laura Bates stated her argument on this very simply on Twitter: 

"Women-only carriages suggest harassment/sexual violence is innate & inevitable so women's responsibility to avoid."

This is the same argument used during many rape convictions. 'She was drunk/wearing 'provocative' clothing/out at night', soon 'well, she didn't go into the woman-only carriage, so she didn't take the steps to protect herself' will surface as another poor excuse for violence against women.

Yes, women have a right to safe spaces and women-only carriages may seem like a great way solve the problem in the short term, but there's a more widespread societal issue here with a need to teach men that harassment of any form is wrong. Removing women from one place and putting them in another does not solve the problem, what happens once a woman gets off the train? Should we have designated corridors? Paths? Roads? Entire transport networks to ourselves? 

Women (on all points of the gender spectrum) should feel safe everywhere, whether in an all-women's carriage or 'mixed gendered one', and segregation is not the answer.

For me the better solution to this issue would be better policing of public transport (particularly at night) and a justice system that punishes perpetrators of sexual harassment. Resources that could potentially be used to heard women into a woman-only carriage and shepherd men into another could be better allocated to stop violence and harassment outright. 

And in the longer term instead of women-only carriages, how about douchebag free zones, on public transport and in all public spaces? Am I right?

Wanna Earn Big In Hollywood? Be White, Male, & Straight Apparently

Let's address the elephant in the room when I think we all know there's a serious diversity problem in Hollywood. Whilst the movie biz likes to make us think we're moving forward by trying to advocate for feminism, LGBTQ rights and ethnic minorities, there's no doubt there's a smoke screen.
This smoke screen gets lifted once things like the recent Forbes Highest Earning Actors/Actresses lists get revealed.

The first problem is the one everyone knows about. Woman are earning less than men in media. Hollywood is no stranger to the gender pay gap and whilst Jennifer Lawrence does earn more than almost the entire actor list, her $52 Million pales in comparison to $80 Million Robert Downey Jnr earns. That for me is the least of our problems to be honest.

Whilst people are complaining $32 million pay gap between JLaw and RDJ, I find the argument pretty boring in comparison to questioning the ethnic and sexual diversity of the people on the list.
Another elephant in the room for this list: all the actresses in list are white with the exception of one, Fan Bing Bing (number 4 on the list after JLaw, Scarlet and Melissa McCarthy). It's a stark contrast to the actor list, which include five men of colour, three of which are India's highest earners.

And that's not even touching on the complete lack of queer representation on the list. Out of the actress' list there are two women on the bisexual spectrum (Angelina Jolie and Kristen Stewart - though you'd never be able to tell they were with the way the media treats them).

In my heart l feel like the lack of diversity should be surprising statistic in 2015 when you consider the rise in fame and popularity for actresses such as Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Laverne Cox, Zoe Saldana, Gina Rodriguez, or Lupita N'yong'o (who may end up creeping up this list after the Star Wars film hits). In reality? I'm not so shocked. We may feel that we celebrate a diverse set of women in the media but we still have a long way to go to have this translate into financial reward. If J Law can earn it big against the likes of Jackie Chan and Vin Disel, I don't see why other women can too.

If you're interested in hearing more stats Flavorwire pulled together a pretty decent report on it here.

I've also, already written up some thoughts on the representation of East Asian women in the film and television on the blog too!

Thoughts On: White Privilege, Women of Colour & The Music Industry

The first step of being a good feminist is recognising when your faves are being problematic.

So there's been a bit of a so-called feud floating around the Twitter-sphere post-VMA nominations announcement last week. Nicki Minaj called out on the fact she seemed to have received fewer nominations than other women on the bill..

"If I was a different "kind" of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well....

When the "other" girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination...

If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year" 

- Nicki's Twitter

The comments were not in fact aimed specifically at Taylor Swift, and could easily be applicable to any music awards ceremony any other year too.

Instead of keeping schtum or simply retweeting Nicki's comments. Taylor took the tweets a little personally.

"I've done nothing but love & support you. It's unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..."

- Taylor's Twitter

I think anyone who knows me well is well versed in the fact that I am a huge Taylor Swift fan, but this is the bit that really made me wanna head desk. Blaming men will not help the cause nor with disregarding your white privilege. Because it's not just men putting women of colour in the corner and it's not just the VMAs to blame. There's a much bigger issue at hand here.

Nicki's original point is to do with society's perception of race, more specifically the fact that - unless you're Beyonce - if you're a woman of colour you have to fight your corner to be taken seriously in the music industry.

This goes back further than Taylor. This harks back to when Britney and Christina were hailed up as the princesses of pop (after - oh hey look Madonna! Another white woman), when women like countless R&B artists were pushed to the sidelines (only the likes of Destiny's Child and JLo really challenged that barrier and won). When you look at the top 10 lists of successful female artists, they're almost all exclusively white (with the exception of, again, Beyonce, Nicki, Rihanna etc.).

Women like Taylor don't really realise how much of an easy ride they've had into success. Sure there's an element of slog through building a fan base and inherent sexism in the industry in the first place to get seen. But it feels like nothing compared to the consistent backlash artists like Nicki get for their portrayal of themselves, their sexuality and culture on screen. It's not easy for them to move into other genres and they're rarely seen outside of R&B and Hip-Hop. They haven't been able to chop and change their style because their form of artistic expression is never taken as seriously in the first place.

In comparison Taylor has been hailed in the past year for her courage to stand up for herself and her haters; to take control of her sexuality and how she's seen in the media; to move away from what made her famous because she already conquered and made country music her bitch; to take charge of the relationship rumours and slut-shaming she's received over the years for her romantic life; and for her support of other women in the industry. And she's not alone, when you look at the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Iggy Azalea - all women praised as independent pioneers.

But Beyonce, Michelle and Kelly were singing about Independent Women back in 2000, and Aretha asking for a little respect back in 1967.

I know Taylor had her best intentions at heart with her comments, but taking it down the personal route was not what Minaj intended either. Nicki wasn't calling out Taylor, she was calling us the consumers of music and the establishment out. We're the ones to blame here really. We're the ones who call Taylor an innovator and feminist, and Nicki 'ratchet' and too outspoken. White women seem to always be placed at the forefront of popular culture. And as a self-identifying feminist, Taylor needs to start thinking intersectionally.

The bad blood runs deeper than who wins a moon man trophy, and I applaud Nicki for again speaking up on this. Taylor? I love you but you may wanna back down for now.

MAJOR UPDATE: I wrote this before Taylor's apology on Twitter - which Minaj has gracefully accepted. Whilst I appreciate that she now understands her misgivings, it no matter diminishes the original issue in itself. If anything this debate has opened up a floodgate, which I hope women like Minaj keeps fighting to keep open.

On acknowledging the limitations of ‘white girl feminism'

I've been fairly positive when it comes to feminism and the campaigns and strides towards gender equality but after attending a talk for International Women's Day a few months ago, the discussions brought up some serious and concerning points about the idea of 'white middle class feminism' which I found incredibly thought-provoking.

During the talk one woman in the audience raised a concern she felt uncomfortable fighting for feminism 'as a white woman who has had experienced the privileges of higher education'.

She went on to speak about the guilt she felt having this platform where she has the chance to change the world when so few women from underprivileged backgrounds, suffering from racism and other unjust circumstances across the world have no vocal platform to do so. 

How on earth can she speak for those women as someone who has never personally experienced that level of prejudice and injustice. She wants to help but does she have the right to do this in her position? 

This point really rang true with me on many levels. Despite that fact that I am a woman of colour born of immigrant parents here in the UK, I do consider myself to be extremely lucky to have grown up in an environment where I:

a) received a decent University education 

b) am able to earn enough in a graduate job to live comfortably 

c) grew up in an environment where I was loved, respected and cared for by my family and peers, 

and d) have never personally felt I have ever had my voice stifled or my abilities questioned on the basis of my race. 

By all intents and purposes I have reaped the benefits usually only granted to middle class white women living in a Western country without even batting an eyelid to it.

As feminists in the Western world, we're often told our plight is to gain wage equality, lean in, strive to work for freedom of choice in every aspect of a woman's life no matter your career track, family life or personal ambitions. This single minded view of feminist - however admirable - isn't the be all and end all of feminist issues.

There is still much disparity in much of the feminist rhetoric which ignores many of the gaps between the experiences of women of colour and white women in the western world and beyond. 

We as western feminist are very good at activism but we pick the topics we find are easier to tackle and change. They're the ones that make sense to us because we experience it on a day to day basis - the wage gap, cat-calling, rape, slut shaming, sexualisation of women etc. We very rarely take on what we don't know. And I will be the first to admit that I'm definitely guilty of this particularly when I tend to focus on the representation of women in Western media.

This is where I feel 'white girl feminism' lets the cause down. Just because a women's issue is difficult or seems alien to us doesn't mean it doesn't deserve as much air time as possible. I think these topics scare us when we're living comfortable lives. But keeping silent only makes it worse and plays into the hands of inequality.

The fight for feminism does not end with the issues raised by white middle class cis-gendered women. 

We need to be wary of imposing western values on women of colour. We should consider the cultural diversity of the world and how feminism fits within it - not the other way around. As always it helps to not consider 'one size fits all' solutions to feminist problems.

Finally I bring us back to the girl at the IWD talk. The advice she got from the panel? Don't feel too guilty. For all of us the first step towards working towards a more Intersectional view of feminism is to actually recognise the immensely privileged position we are in. But instead of feeling like you can't speak out on behalf of women of colour, don't try to. 

Elevate their voices. 

Let them share their stories. 

Promote their struggles and give them an opportunity to be seen AND be heard.