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. 

The 'Strong Female Character' | A Whole New Fictional Stereotype

*images via: Katniss//Tauriel//Black Widow//Furiosa//Merida//Tris

Like with every aspect of feminism, there's been a resurgence of fiction female protagonists filed under the guise of 'strong female character'. The stereotype comes as a response to calls to stop portraying women as weak or victims in a male world, and raise them up as heroes in their own right... when we think of 'strong' women in film, TV or books we can definitely count on the likes of Katniss, Black Widow, Tris Prior, Tauriel, Merida or even more recently Furiosa (Mad Max) to fit into this box of kick-ass women. And whilst they are fantastic characters and absolutely wonderful to see on screen they all do seem share a few characteristics.

All of these women seem to wield some sort of weapon; are heavily involved in some sort of military/battle/fight scene in their respective franchises; all seem to have some serious angst-ridden backstory and/or Achilles heel vulnerability which gets exploited at the first but them ultimately makes them 'stronger'; and they often inhabit a world that is still ridiculously patriarchal (they also often are embroiled in some sort of romantic tryst whilst trying to save the world but that's a whole other blog post really.) In short these women are warriors in the most literal and metaphorical sense. They fight for their place in their stories are for that reason are considered 'strong female characters'.

Now I'm not knocking this premise - if anything we've been dying to see these kinds of women in the media for years. But isn't it funny how we've gone from playing the damsel in distress to suddenly shooting arrows or planning the demise of corrupt governments. It's almost as if in our quest for gender equality in media our female protagonists have become more like soldiers, adopting more masculine traits, which seems a bit counter-productive to the cause.

I understand why this has happened. As a compromise for the lack of women on screen, filmmakers, producers and writers seem to overcompensate by making the female protagonists all knowing, all powerful, and weapon wielding super humans. As if giving Black Widow a gun is gonna take away from the fact that she was the only female Avenger before Age of Ultron? Their heart is in the right place but the execution is somewhat lacking.

What these warrior women also enforce is this misconception that the 'strong' part of the 'strong female character' is a physical trait that these women need to have. In all these instances the women are physically fighting their demons to be considered on par with their male counterparts.

But surely vulnerability, compassion and quiet intelligence should also be considered strong traits for women to have? I seriously wish there was more emphasis on characters who do break down and come back 'stronger' without having to don armor to do it. Characters like Hazel in TFIOS, Eleanor in Eleanor & Park, or even Elsa in Frozen are all equally as strong as they mentally deal with their demons. In my opinion these deserve to fall under the 'strong female protagonist' descriptor too.

I'm not knocking this new stereotype completely. I'd much rather see women portrayed as physically capable to do just as much as the boys, but I'd love to see this description expanded out so don't discount mental strength and 'softer' traits as important characteristics too.

Top 5 Friday | Women On Broadway

It's the Tony's this weekend guys *cue the rainbow coloured confetti canon* and to celebrate I've decided to dedicate this post to my top 5 women associate with Broadway and New York theatre. They may not be the biggest fishes in the pond or the most recognised (compared to the likes of Minelli or LuPone), but they are pretty extraordinary and - more importantly - inspiring. Check them out!

Audra McDonald (Actress)

As far as actresses go, Audra McDonald is a quiet powerhouse of a woman. The only actress to win awards in all four acting categories (Best Leading Actress awards in a play and musical, AND Best Supporting Actress in a play and musical), she holds the honor of being the most decorated Broadway actress of all time having won a whopping six Tony Awards.
Though a primarily classically trained, Audra voice transcends all genres of music and she's built up quite a repertoire on Broadway, with her credits including Porgy & Bess, Ragtime and Carousel.
You can catch her on the big screen next as she's set to play the diva-licious Wardrobe in the upcoming live action Beauty & the Beast with Emma Watson.

Diane Paulus (Director)

An absolute theatre pioneer, Diane Paulus is probably best known as the third woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical for the 2012 revival of Pippin. Famous for her avante garde productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the 2009 revival of Hair, Diane is always pushing the boundaries and challenging the status quo of the theatre elite.
Outside of her more high-profile accomplishments, Diane has been the artistic director at the American Repertory Theatre since 2008 - the first woman to take on the role since it was established in 1980.
She's also an academic powerhouse, with her foundational arts grounding at the New York City Ballet, she is also a Harvard alum (where she still occasionally teaches) with a masters degree from Columbia, and was listed on the Times 100 list in 2014. Diane continues to push boundaries on both the smaller and bigger stages in the US, and recently directed the new Finding Neverland musical.
Throughout her successes, Diane remains one of the hardest working women in the background of Broadway and her entrepreneurial spirit makes her a true role model for both those seeking careers in both the creative and 'business' sides of the industry.

Lea Salonga (Actress)

A personal hero of mine and the role model for many East Asian women in the industry is the ever-incredible Lea Salonga. The Filipino born actress is probably best known for her role as Kim in Miss Saigon at the tender age of 17, before taking the stage (and breaking a couple of racial casting barriers) at the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary concert as Eponine - she also went on to play the role on Broadway and the West End, and graduated up to play the role of Fantine on Broadway too.
She is also the voice of the Disney generation having portrayed the singing voices for Princess Jasmine and Mulan. As well as making waves on the Big White Way, Lea is pretty much lauded as the Philippine's sweetheart and seems to be constantly on tour all over the world.
More recently she's been mentoring contestants on The Voice (Philippines) and is set to make her big Broadway comeback this Autumn in Allegiance with George Tekai.

Jeanine Tesori (Composer/Lyricist)

You may not know Jeanine Tesori's name, but if you're a musical theatre fan you've probably heard her toe-tapping musical numbers.
Jeanine rose through the ranks, first as a arranger for musicals such as How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, The Sound of Music (1998 revival), and The Who's Tommy.
Her big break came in 2000 as the composer for Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which she was nominated for Best Original Score. After composing for a number of off-Broadway shows, she landed another smash hit job as composer for Shrek: The Musical.
She's currently riding off the back of another smash hit success with Fun Home and is again nominated for Best Original Score at the Tonys this year. Ever creative, Tesori is one of the few female voices in the male dominated field of musical composition.

Krysta Rodriguez (Actress)

She may not be the biggest name on the Big White Way, but Krysta continues to be one of the best ambassadors for Broadway.
Krysta had humble beginnings rising through the ranks as an understudy and ensemble member in big productions like In The Heights, Spring Awakening and A Chorus Line, as well as originating the role of Wednesday Adams in the off-Broadway production of The Adams Family.
She's probably better known in the mainstream for her role as Ana Vargas in Smash, alongside Katherine McPhee and Jeremy Jordan and later went on to reprise her role in the fictional musical Hit List at a special 54 Below. Her big break on Broadway came opposite Zachary Levi in First Date the musical (which FYI has one of my favourite modern musical theatre songs ever).
Her personal life recently took a hit, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer late last year, yet she continues to inspire many with collaborating with Cosmo Online and the launch of ChemoCouture, both of which chronicle her journey through treatment. She's currently starring in Deaf West's revival of Spring Awakening in L.A.

And because this was the hardest list to put together in the history of ever, some notable runners up:
Sutton Foster (Actress), Chita Rivera (Actress), Julie Taymor (Director), Patina Miller (Actress), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Actress), and Annie Baker (Playwright)

Up, Up & Away | Why Supergirl could make or break the superhero genre for women

Is it a bird? 

Is it a plane? 

No, it's DC's latest superhero winging her way to the small screen.

This Autumn the brand new live action Supergirl TV series will air in the States on CBS. Though there have been many incarnations of Supergirl (both in Smallville and the various Superman films) this will be her first leap onto the small screen as a leading protagonist. And in my opinion, she has the potential to be one of the most important and most interesting female superheroes in years.

I'm not a hardcore comic book fan. I didn't grow up on the comics though I certainly had a bit of an obsession with the animated X-Men TV show in the 90s (I basically wanted to be Kitty Pryde growing up), so forgive me if my knowledge is lacking somewhat with this.

It's certainly true, since the emergence of new and breed of superhero franchises initiated by films like Nolan's gritty Batman franchise, Marvel's Avengers films, and TV shows (e.g. Arrow, The Flash and Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. etc), women have existed in all sorts of capacities, as part of teams, as individuals and within subplots. However, other than Agent Carter we haven't had a female fronted superhero-themed TV show in years. Whilst I, naturally, adore Agent Carter and everything she stands for as a kick-ass, flawed and complex human being, it's exciting to see a women with a supernatural trick up her sleeve finally lead a franchise.



What will be interesting to see is whether she will be as well received by the public as her male counterparts. Though this version of Supergirl is for the most part fresh and new, there is no doubt for many of the general public she will just appear to be a genderbent version of Clark Kent. 

Though I personally I think the trailer looks really promising, already there's been much criticism of it (and the 'leaked' pilot) with many arguing the format of the show resembles a rom-com, that it's clearly 'aimed at girls' or that it looks 'too light' to be a superhero TV show in the 21st Century. As if all these things are a bad thing? Personally, I think it's fantastic they're trying to appeal to a new generation of girls who may have been put off by the more testosterone fueled Marvel and DC movies, or are looking for more of a light hearted Superhero TV show compared to the darkness of Daredevil, Gotham or Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.

What I'm more interested in seeing is how show's writers will create an origin story for Supergirl that will be just interesting as Clark Kent's, or Captain America's or Iron Man's. I may be a lot to lay on her shoulders but I really hope she'll become the gold standard on how women should be represented in the superhero genre going forward.

Though obviously we have Captain Marvel on the horizon and a Wonderwoman appearance in the Batman vs Superman movie, as Supergirl premieres way before those it's success could could pave the way for other female supers to take the stage as leads on the big and small screen.

No matter what the media says, this TV show is an important step and I honestly I'm really rooting for her (even if I am more of a Marvel fan than DC). 

Top 5 Friday | Best of Feminist Slam Poetry

Oh hello, what's this? A new regular feature here on Feminist in Training? Welcome to Top 5 Friday, where I'll be listing off the best and worst of anything and everything relating to feminism and gender equality!

This Friday I’m celebrating the start of National Poetry Month and counting down my top 5 slam poems!

Shrinking Women

Favourite line: 

“I hear her creep down to eat a plain yoghurt in the dark, a fugitive stealing calories to which she does not feel entitled."

To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang

Favourite line: 

“I am plastered across movies screens, a best selling caricature."

Spear

Favourite line: 

"You can't tell me that they don't know that her no is not a moan."

Khaleesi

Favourite line "We are women who capsize entire crowds with the sayings of the wind.”

What guys look for in girls

Favourite line: 

"But we all end up with our heads between our knees,

because the only place where we’ll really ever feel safe

is curled up inside skin we’ve been taught to hate."

B*tch I ain't Cho Chang | Asian Women In Western Media

LoL am I right?

I was recently re-watching this little opening from A Very Potter Musical and though the line never fails to make me laugh on each watch, this time I also found myself thinking about the racial stereotyping and the lack of representation Asian* women have in Western media. Because though this line is a throwaway comment, it actually does bring up a thinly veiled problem with the we see Asian women on TV, Film and other forms of media.

Under-representation/Mis-representation of Asian women? But Lucy Liu's one of the biggest movie stars on the planet? And she's in that Sherlock show and was a bad-ass Charlie's Angel too...yeah *rolls eyes* guys, there's more to Asian representation than Lucy Liu I'm afraid.

We know for a fact that this year's Oscars were officially the most 'white washed' ceremony. But did you know the last time an Asian actress was nominated was in 2010 (Hailee Steinfeld (1/4 Filipino) for True Grit) and the last time an actress of Asian descent won Best Actress was in 1935 (Merie Oberon (Indian), The Dark Angel).

Recent studies show the women of the Asian community make up around 4% of leading characters in film. Asian men are doing marginally better in both television and film (think Ken Jeoung, Darren Criss, Jackie Chan or John Cho) but when you specifically look for Asian actresses we're definitely few and far between.

l-r: Lucy Liu, Zhang Ziyi, Katie Leung, Mulan (voiced by Ming Na Wen)

When we do appear on screen, Asian women fall under one of two character tropes:

1. Ass kicking dragon ladies (think House of Flying Daggers or basically any film role played by Lucy Liu)
2. Shy giggling, naive schoolgirls/geishas/nerds...essentially the stereotypical nerdy Asian introvert in female form.

As a working example of how few and far between Asian roles models are, for me, when I was growing up the only 'ethnic' Disney 'princesses' I felt I could dress up as because they looked like me were Esmeralda and Pocahontas (hello cultural appropriation!). It wasn't until Mulan came out in 1998 that I finally had someone on screen who looked kinda similar to who I was - and even then she's white-d out within an inch of her life (Yellow undertones? What are they?). She does also fall victim to both the shy Asian introvert and dragon lady tropes - in fact she goes from one extreme to the other during the course of the film.

Then along came JK Rowling, who wrote Cho Chang into the HP books and I for one rejoiced. She was a genuine love interest of the hero, got to date Cedric (essentially the equivalent of dating the star Quarterback) and was a Ravenclaw (Raven-pride represent!). But as great as she was, I often forget half of the traits I attributed to her (a girl essentially suffering from widowhood after her boyfriend was brutally murdered, a star athlete and seemingly the only girl on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a brave student who returned to fight Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts) aren't technically canon. Because, as AVPM helpfully called out, going by the the book-lore she's still just an accessory to Harry's story - the giggling Chinese schoolgirl chasing after the most popular white men in the school. 

Lea Salonga in Les Mis as Eponine & Fantine

In fact my first real Asian role model didn't come from books or the silver screen but in the form of an actress named Lea Salonga. Lea was woman who was hand-picked by Cameron Mackintosh, at first in a very stereotypical role as Vietnamese Kim in Miss Saigon, he went on to cast her to play one of the most iconic characters in musical theatre...Eponine in Les Mis (she also later went on to play Fantine too!). Lea was cast on her talent and the fact she was capable of playing an incredible role. She's also paved the way for many Asian actresses to play the role in years to come and has openly spoken out in favour of colourblind casting - she's played Sandy in Grease, The Witch in Into The Woods and Cinderella (in Asia). 

But as much as I like to think the world revolves around Broadway and musical theatre, Asian women are still the underdogs in mass media.

In a way it's the mindset of Hollywood that needs to change first, this whole issue is part of an ingrained problem with white-washing characters in Western media that isn't exclusive to just Asian actresses. Ethnic actors in general don't 'sell' as well apparently *rolls eyes*. 

I also personally believe it's the responsibility of the acting community themselves to think twice about accepting roles that are actually supposed to be played by ethnic actors (I love you Scarlett Johanssen but I'm looking at you here) and for casting directors, producers and directors in general to stop giving canonically Asian roles to white actors (M. Night Shamalan you are the biggest culprit here *cue A:TLA-induced rage*)

Admittedly we are making small strides. 

l-r: Vanessa Hudgens (Gimme Shelter), Ming Na Wen (Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D)

There are new action heroes with more bite than your average 'martial arts dragon lady' with Maggie Q in the Divergent series and the incredible Ming Na Wen as Agent May in Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. Despite my own personal preferences of her and her talent, Vanessa Hudgens has broken boundaries as a half-Filipina actress taking on roles I've never seen an Asian actress take on before, both on the silver screen and currently on Broadway in Gigi (a part originated by Audrey Hepburn, the role is traditionally played by a white actress). 

There's my own personal fave Jenna Ushkowitz, who's character Tina Cohen-Chang in Glee (despite the awful writing) did manage push her way forward into the already diverse casting on the show - she was hired on talent and Tina the character shaped around her as a person much like Chris Colfer and Kevin McHale's role. Then there's Lucy Liu, who's become a bit of a role model and a perfect example of how much race just doesn't matter when you're freaking talented in her role as Dr Jane Watson in Elementary. 

l-r: Vanessa Hudgens (Gigi), Maggie Q (Divergent), Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee), Lucy Liu (Elementary)

I'm sure there are plenty of other progressive examples, but again in all of these instances we are never the hero. No matter how bad-ass the character we’re usually still the side-kick or an elevated secondary character at best. A background character to an otherwise white narrative. 

And though sure, it's great to be seen as a powerful dragon lady, or get to portray the vulnerability of more introverted characters, but is that all we can play?

Maybe I'm thinking too far into this and maybe it's also the Asian community's responsibility to write roles we want to see portrayed in the media too? If we want to see ourselves on screen we have to share our stories too - much in the same way the African American and Latino communities have been doing over the past few years. Though I still want to see more Asian women in roles that test their abilities to the max, that challenge the stereotypes of Asian females in the media, and that ultimately portray us as complex human beings.

But first and foremost we need to be given the chance to do this. When you think about it the racial prejudice towards Asian actresses and our stories it is much more subtle than that of say Latina or Black or Indian women. We're often overlooked because we're perhaps not as vocal or content with being 'big in Asia' not Hollywood, or for the simple fact that some of us could actually pass for Caucasian or ambiguously ethnic (Vanessa Hudgens is a prime example for this).

Personally, this isn't good enough for me. Because whilst we exclude Asian women from the mainstream media there are thousands of Asian girls growing up - like me - without seeing themselves on screen. 

I don't want to have to LOOK for Asian women in media anymore because Asian ethnicities (this is East/South East Asian AND Middle Eastern/Indian ethnicities by the way) exist we're not magical unicorns and we shouldn't have to look because we're freakin' everywhere. But I want to see us smack bang, forefront and centre on a cinema screen. We deserve to be up there just as much as any other Caucasian actress or any other race for that matter.

So let's start making those historical dramas about Asian women in the Western world in the early 20th Century or contemporary indies testing young Asian actresses just as much as Silver Linings Playbook and A Winter's Bone challenged J Law. 

Let's champion ground-breaking Chinese, Filipino, Malaysian, Japanese etc. comediennes to break the stereotype cycle like Mindy Kaling has done. 

I want to see Asian women as leads in TV dramas like Girls or Orange Is The New Black too. 

Lets get Asian actresses as heading up epic-ly written female comedies like Bridesmaids or the ass-kicking protagonists in the next Utopian adaptation or as the 'wish we were her cause she ends up with Ryan Gosling' character leads in Rom-Coms. 

Where are the Asian families on screen? Is it that hard to cast an Asian mother/daughter/grandmother combo on TV or film? - cause like seriously let's talk about how interesting the traditional Asian family dynamic is guys! 

And finally, let's get a movie/TV show depicting the Asian LGBTQ community [have you noticed most Asian relationships portrayed on screen tend to only be heterosexual involving only cis-gender women?]. 

SO y'know, I'm done with waiting my turn. 

Cause b*tch, I'm not just Cho Chang. 

I'm ready to see my fellow Asian women kickin-ass on screen....are you?

*disclaimer When I'm referring to 'Asian' here I'm looking specifically at statistics regarding Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Filipino and other countries in East, South East and Pacific Asia. I am not referring to Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Indian etc. in this post - though their representation in the media is a WHOLE other issue entirely which I'd love to explore (because it makes me super angry too)!!

International Women’s Day 2015 | #DearMe: Letter to my 16 year old self

Dear Me, 

I did try and keep this short and sweet but as you can see the fact you like to write and ramble really hasn’t changed in the past 6 or so years. I’m gonna break the space/time continuem here and let let you know what you should’ve known in hindsight. 

You’re cooler than you think. You need to stop comparing yourself to your friends. Sure they’re awesome, they’ve gone to more emo-rock gigs than you, they have piercings, their parents give them a bit more freedom than you, they have boyfriends. But remember you’re awesome too. They’re friends with you for a reason, so stop beating yourself up with self-doubt about why people want to hang out with you.

No one cares what your body looks like. Stop pinching and prodding at yourself. Eating disorders aren’t cool and beating yourself up because you don’t look like Emma Watson is not ok. Fashion tastes change. Baggy jeans don’t suit you. Neither does the whole 'ah yeah I’m a total tom-boy like Avril Lavigne’ attitude and putting other people - especially other women - down because they don’t comfort to your standards of what’s ‘cool’.

You know what’s cool? Embracing your inner geek. You know you’re a geek and you’re friends know you have a few nerdy obsessions but you put a damper on that. Why? Again it’s the whole cool thing. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to do that. You’re nerdy-ness is a fantastic part of you. It’s not nerdy-ness really. You’re passionate about things and that’s certainly not a crime. You love online RPG and Harry Potter and have an unhealthy love for McFLY. So what?

One day you’ll discover the most incredible feeling in the world is to be in a room where everyone else loves and feels passionate about the same things as you. Take that feeling and embrace it, because it’s wonderful. 

You’re introversion is your greatest strength. One day you’re gonna watch a book called ‘Quiet’ and it will change your life. You should feel comfortable being on your own. In fact you’ll travel halfway across the world solo and it will be the best thing you’ve ever done. You’ll find an online community that will shape you in more ways than you can count as well as friendships you dearly cherish, all because you feel more comfortable interacting this way.

Stop worry so much. Ok maybe don’t stop worrying altogether but loosen up a bit. School is hard but it’s not the be all and end all, College is even harder but again it’s not the end, and University isn’t this miraculous place where all your problems will get solved because guess what? It’s hard too and it’s only the beginning of your journey. You need stop thinking about life as a set of goals to tick and you need stop putting so much pressure on yourself to tick off everything on your bucket list before a certain age. Because, hey, you will fall and you will fail and it will suck major balls. But you have to realise that life will take on different paths you can’t account for and you just have to go with it. And sometimes it takes you on an even better path than you expected. 

It’s ok to cry but don’t dwell. Move on. No one will remember your failures and hardships in the years to come and you won’t either. Remember karma has it’s way of coming towards you…sometimes it just takes a while for it to do it’s rounds. 

Talk to your parents more. Guess what? They’re human too. You’ll find this out at a really horrible time, but that moment pulls you all closer together. They love you. Don’t take them for granted.

And lastly, I just want to tell you that you deserve to take up space in this world. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You’re an amazing person and secondary school is just a tiny blip in this rocky road of life. 

So I guess that everything I wanted to say. Chin up chickadee, it doesn’t feel like it now but you’ve got some good times ahead of you <3

Lots of love, 

Ria

p.s. stop over-plucking your eyebrows. There’s a hella rad woman named Cara Delevigne on the horizon that will change e v e r y t h i n g.

This Girl Can | The Body Positive Fitness Campaign

New year, new me! And so goes the mantra for most of us when the glutony of the festive season is over and January rears its ugly head telling us it's time for a fresh start at our diet/fitness.

There's nothing wrong with this. In fact this wake up call can be a good time to re-evaluate our health and wellbeing in general. What isn't great is the constant bombardment of diet and fitness ads. Sports and dieting ads for women are particularly problematic, with their potent messages to be thin and skinny and toned, all with a dose of 'you have to look fabulous doing it too'.
Now I'm all for a bit of fitspo to get you motivated but for some, including myself, the pressure to get on the January fitness wagon is awful. These adverts portray a world of fitness and exercise that just doesn't exist in real life...because who seriously comes out of the gym looking like Taylor Swift (unless your Taylor Swift. And I still wanna bet she doesn't look so fab in the middle of an intense pilates session either.

Cue the The Girl Can campaign, a series of health and fitness adverts with a difference focusing on the idea of being active. What marks these ads as different is the use of women of all shapes, sizes, colours, professions, and ages keeping fit. It places it's emphasis on the not so nice effects of exercise (sweat, heat and pain) and gives it a body positive twist. Much like last year's 'Under Armour' adverts with Missy Franklin, there's a lot of focus on strength and the fact that exercise is painful and hard and can get super gross but that's totally ok! The real women in the ads range from a whole Zumba class, to a mother getting her kids involved in easy exercises in her living room, to another woman cycling, and others taking on professional sports too.

The message of the campaign (with a little help from Missy Elliot) encourages women to get their freak on. There's no body shaming here and it doesn't matter what your level of fitness, or what type of exercise you choose to partake in for that matter, you can get moving and get motivated. .

The campaign - set up by the National Lottery and Sport England - has run on national TV here in the UK and there are whole playlists on their Youtube channel too, as well as a number of print ads and a Twitter campaign at #ThisGirlCan.

Personally I want to shake the hand of whoever came up with the idea for this campaign. Self-confidence is often a huge contributing factor for women debating whether to start exercising - myself included. But what This Girl Can shows is who really give a damn? You're exercising. No one has the right to judge you when you're actually taking the steps to look after your own health and well being!

For more info on the This Girl Can campaign, check out their website, Youtube and Twitter feed. And of course, get involved and get your freak on! 

Being A Better Feminist in 2015

*images via feministchoice & galleryhip

Hellooo! It’s been a while. Just over a year in fact since I decided to launch this little corner of my Internet existence.

Turns out running three blogs is hard work, so I’ve be noticeably absent from Feminist In Training for the most part but I want to change that this year. One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to be more active on here and I’ll be starting with the mini goal of making sure I’m posting at least every fortnight.

Aside from that mini goal there are a couple of other things I want to try and do this year in the bid to be a better feminist.

I want to share more resources on feminism. Whether that be interesting articles, other cool bloggers/vloggers and reviews on feminist books/essay/videos that are capturing my attention.

I want to be more confident to write about really difficult feminist topics. I often hold my tongue on tough subjects because I’m afraid to offend, that I’ll come across in the wrong way or that I’m simply too scared to hit the post button. But silence can too often be seen as compliance and I don’t want to sit back anymore. 

Feminist activism benefits all genders and sexualities, so in 2015 I want to become a better ally and understand issues that effect people who aren’t cis-gendered heterosexual women living in the western world. 

Speaking of non-western ideas about feminism I want to write more about feminist topics from the perspective of a person of colour and about issues concern women of colour. It’s a topic that’s too often brushed aside and I want to try and delve into the issues more on here. 

As serious a topic as feminism is, I want to have a bit more fun with this blog. Yes, I’ll be writing about serious issues but I also want to celebrate inspiring women in the world. 

And finally, feminsm doesn't exist in a vacuum. There’s so much inequality in the world and considering intersectional feminism is something I definitely want to try to concentrate on this year. 

So those are my pledges for 2015 and onwards! Let's start turning words into action :)

What will you be doing to become a better feminist in 2015?

#ReportSamPepper

[trigger warning: sexual assault]

It's been a rough year for the Youtube community, then this happens and everyone seems to have finally snapped.

British 'Youtuber' Sam Pepper posted a video to his channel 'pranking' women 'pinching them in the ass' with a fake hand and laughing about it. How this is considered entertainment in the first place is beyond me but that's besides the point. What Sam has done is blatant sexual harassment experienced by women and men all over the world everyday. And he's making a joke out of it. This is not ok. This is not acceptable. And with 2 million followers it's so so worrying how many people will see this and think it's perfectly normal for this to happen.

When your audience consists primarily of teenage girls and you possess the kind of influence Sam has over an audience, you have a duty of care to those watching to be a responsible adult whether you like it or not. Normalising sexual harassment should not be in your remit. Because getting groped on the ass, whether it was a 'joke' or not still counts as sexual misconduct. Placing it in front of your audience as a 'prank' for laughs simply reinforces the idea that women are simply playthings and that a 'cheeky squeeze' should be taken as a compliment. And just because the women in the video are supposedly laughing, doesn't mean there weren't dozens of others who didn't consent to being in the video because they pushed him away or called him out.

It's a touch on the bum now, next it'll be 'let's see if I can grab her boob' or 'shall I try and get my hand up her skirt'. How far are you willing to push for entertainment Sam?

What saddens me most is that this comes at a time in the Youtube community where we seemed to making some progress. After the huge success of Jack and Dean's 'Consent' (with airplay both on Youtube and on national radio), massively important conversations across the platform about sexual assault and Youtube celebrity, and most recently many prominent American Youtubers making their way to the White House to join President Obama in pledging against sexual violence, it's absolutely maddening how one idiot can offset all that work for a joke.

But this community is still fighting back and the reaction to this has been incredible. Many big names have spoken up on Twitter, in the comments of the video and are urging people to not take this lying down. What's great is that these Youtubers are equally matched with their own circle of influence and together they seemed to have stirred up the waters enough to get people reporting the video and Sam.

Their support is obviously welcomed but this video shouldn't have happened in the first place.  It was grossly irresponsible and is not the first time Sam has made this kind of video on his channel, and frankly it makes me sick to think he's gotten away with such behaviour so far. But thankfully the community is realising what many others have already known for a long time.

Normalising and trivialising this kind of behaviour, particularly towards women, is damaging.

Take the video down Sam and step away from Youtube and your 'audience'. We don't want you here.

And if you're wondering what you can do to keep this community fighting against content like this, vote with your views. Remember as a viewer you don't have to sit aside, if you're offended you have every right to say so.  Report the video and spread the hashtag #ReportSamPepper.

Elliot Rodger, 'Friend-zoning' & The Dark Side Of Misyongistic Behaviour

[Trigger Warning: sexual abuse and rape]

I wish I was coming back to this blog with a 'lighter toned' feminist topic, but I'm not gonna lie the news of a young man from California gunning down six innocent people and injuring a good deal more in premeditated murder spree, all in the name of 'punishment' of the women who turned him down over the years completely shook me.

Whilst the news reports prefer to concentrate on Elliot Rodger's clear mental heath problems and the frankly disgustingly lax gun laws in the US, there's a deeper rooted problem that has been made appallingly clear in the online comments of the video and around Twitter. The problem, seen below in the photo, is the sickening support of what Rodgers reveals to be his motive for driving towards the women's sorority house on the night of the shooting.

*image credit to @laurenedensor_

'Friend-zoning', as seen in the first comment, is defined by Urban Dictionary as "What you attain after you fail to impress a woman you're attracted to." Once a joke term and romanticised by Hollywood movies, music and TV shows, it's now become a dangerous way of thinking about women - as yes it is mostly directed to women, let's not get into how women are portrayed when 'friend-zoning' is flipped (another topic for another day!).

Issues surrounding male entitlement to women's bodies is not a new one and the fact that such a tragic act of violence had to inspire conversations surrounding this incredibly important topic is heartbreaking. But what the comments above have unwittingly demonstrated is the fact that Rodger's way of thinking about women is not an isolated incident and that this is still a widespread problem. 

I couldn't count the amount of times I've heard men complain about the friend-zone over the years. And whilst I understand not all men make the sadistic jump to Rodger's mental state on the night of the shootings, the whole idea of a woman 'owing' sexual favours or partaking in a relationship with a man because the guy was 'really nice to them' or because 'they're the good guy' is a horrendously archaic and damaging way of thinking. And the fact that this mindset is the 'norm' in our society, that men should just rape the women they 'can't get' and that so many 'feel bad' for Rodger is terrifying. 

In addition to this, to say that these women deserved what they got for apparently 'rejecting a good guy' is not just an attack against everything feminism fights for but completely dehumanises the victims, both the intended and innocent bystanders, to mere objects.

None of these people deserved to die. None of these women owed anything to Rodger. And no woman (or human being for that matter) should ever feel they are obliged to hand their body or their lives over to a man, because he was 'the nice guy' or because society thinks that 'he deserves a break'. 

If you want to join in the conversation surrounding this topic, the #YesAllWomen hashtag has sprung up over Twitter and Time and the BBC have also posted about the campaign.

International Women's Day 2014 | 8th March

Tomorrow - 8th March - is International Women's Day! What's that I hear you cry? Well it's exactly what is says on the tin! It's a day to celebrate, educate and advocate equality for women all over the world. 2014's theme is 'Inspiring Change' and encourages 'advocacy for women's advancement'.

So what can you do to participate?

Attend an event!

There are over 1,000 International Women's Day events being held tomorrow! Search by location and find out what's happening in your local area on their event's page. But get in there quick! Many of the events require pre-registration. 

Share, share, share

Spread the word. Tweet. Post videos. Write blog posts. Talk to your friends, family and colleagues. Get people involved in International Women's Day by telling them about the cause! The quickest way to start a conversation? Wish them a Happy Women's Day! That'll get them talking ;)

Donate!

The official IWD partner is the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Why? The organisers believe the world can be changed and it'll all start with a girl. Educating young women and investing in them now can have brilliant effects for the future. You can donate via their website or if you'd prefer to support more causes consider Women For Women, End Violence Against Women, Equality Now, or UN Women.

Educate yourself

There's a tonne of resources available on the International Women's Day website and on their news section for you if you want to learn more about equality for women and what's happening to support the cause around the world. 

If you fancy some feminist reading try Lean In (Sheryl Sandberg), How To Be A Women (Caitlin Moran) or pre-order Thrive (Arianna Huffington). Or if you're not literary inclined, head over to Youtube and search feminist TED Talks.

Join the conversation

The digital world has opened up the conversation on feminism and equality online. So join in the discussions on Twitter via the #womensday hashtag or follow @womensday.

Challenge the status quo

If you're looking to make an impact on International Women's Day on your own, the best way to do it is by taking a stand in everyday life. 

So speak up if you see a female classmate being bullied, challenge a sexist and misogynistic joke at University, tell the DJ to turn off Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines and turn up Hard Out Here by Lily Allen, or maybe take that leap in the workplace and ask your boss what they're doing to ensure equal rights for female workers. 

An Unnerving Role Reversal | Oppressed Majority by Eleonore Pourriat

Thought I'd share this video that's been making its rounds on Twitter and Tumblr. Oppressed Majority is a short film by director Eleanore Pourriat which flips the stereotypical gender roles and imagines a world where male and female roles are switched.  

Taking on more serious tones and addressing topics such as victim blaming and assault, this film is certainly chilling - stick around for the end, it sent a few shivers down my spine for all the wrong reasons. 

An open letter to Marvel...

...here I am scrolling through Hypable and notice the new Captain America posters have come out. Woop! Yay for new posters! I love me some new posters, especially when they involved the badass Black Widow!

So what do I find when I see the new posters? The image above of Scarlett Johansson in the role. At first glance? Meh...

Look a little closer and there's some serious fiddling around that's happened here.

Her boobs have been pushed up and out, her waist skinnied down, her torso and neckline has been elongated and her hips widened, and don't even get me started on the placement of her arms.
She looks like a Barbie doll in a leather jumpsuit, not Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

Ignoring the pose and the costume this is what bugs me so much about the movie industry and the marketing it sometimes employs. It happened with Emma Watson and the Order of the Phoenix poster, Kiera Knightley with the King Arthur poster and countless others all over the place! And why?

Does it really make a difference to people who are gonna glance 5 seconds at the poster on the street. Will they think 'Oh no, I'm seeing Captain America now because Black Widow's boobs aren't big!'.

Y'know the people who will notice though? Impressionable young women who look up to Scarlett as a positive role model as some with a kick-ass attitude to body image and has even been heavily quoted on the subject.

"...Women shouldn't be forced to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body images that the media promote." - Scarlett on negative body image

However, there are a few awesome people who have taken it upon themselves to revert the changes back. My favourite's below - from Tumblr user Clickandrun - the original is on the right and their version is on the left.

It's still the same pose, it's still the same costume and it's still Scarlett. But her body is a more realistic and guess what guys? She still looks like a badass.

In fact, if you just take the image on the left of the poster, it could happily pass as a perfectly decent poster for promoting the movie!

Shots fired Marvel. Your move.