Category: Feminism
Updated on May 24, 2016
Dress Rules for Women over 40
Another summer, another list of rules for women on what they should and shouldn’t wear. From the ‘how to get a bikini body’ articles (top tip – buy a bikini, put it on your body, done!) to this… Read More
Updated on March 8, 2016
Inspiring Women – Dum Spiro Spero
“While I breathe, I hope” This morning Rebecca from Artemis Mindset asked a question on her Facebook Group. Which women inspire you? Inspirational … it’s a word that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to women…. Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Why Facebook & Apple Egg Freezing Won’t Get Women into Tech
When I linked to an article on Jump! Mag about why Americans wash and refrigerate eggs, a follower on Twitter asked if I was referring to the story about Apple’s egg freezing offer. It seems that Apple… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Can a Traditional Girls’ Magazine Go Feminist?
The magazine GirlTalk recently announced that they were ‘going feminist’, and I will admit that my initial reaction was ‘bandwagon jumping, much?!’ Several people have asked me what I thought, and whether this would affect… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Feminism and Motherhood – On Choice, Criticism and Self-Confidence
The organisers of Mumsnet Blogfest set the question, ‘Can Feminists be Mummybloggers’ at a rather volatile panel discussion yesterday. I won’t say much about the events of yesterday, as I didn’t attend, but did want to look at… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Volkswagen Small But Tough Girl vs Barclay Precious Pink Girl
No, Barclays. This is NOT how I see my daughter’s relationship with her father. I have been known to throw things at the TV when that advert comes on. As this blogger notes, ‘Unconditional Love’… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Mary Robinson Everybody Matters
When Mary Robinson speaks, people listen. Not because she is the former President of Ireland, and the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, but because she is an inspiring and compelling woman. My ten year old daughter… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Avoid The Knife – FGM in Kenya
I met Vivian in Nairobi. We were told that we were to meet a young woman who had narrowly escaped Female Genital Circumcision (FGM), a practice that is barbaric and abusive. She had escaped being cut,… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Four Born Every Second – Saving Lives of Women and Children
Numbers are funny things, aren’t they? 287,000 If I said a house I bought a house in London that cost £287,000, then you would know that it was not a particularly posh area of the city. If I… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Asda Christmas Ad – MartyrMum Strikes Again
I am flabbergasted at Asda’s Christmas ad. There are people in this country who sat down, thought up this ad, presented it to another group of people, one or several of whom said, ‘I love it, darling!’… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Feminism Is Over … Say Women
‘Feminism is over … say women’ Wow. That is a snappy headline. The alternative headline, “Feminism is over according a small sample of mothers on a parenting website that doesn’t really ‘do’ feminism” doesn’t have quite the… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
The Cult of Motherhood
What does the phrase ‘the cult of motherhood’ mean to you? Nora Heyson It came to me this morning during an interesting discussion on Twitter about being a mother. I have storified it, so you can see the… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
The Signs of Controlling Behaviour – Red Flags and How to Spot Them
If we were able to teach young people to recognise the signs of controlling behaviour, the ‘red flags’, would we be able to protect them from abusive relationships? If we were to teach children in schools how to… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
The Family Planning Summit London 2012 – More Than Statistics and Soundbites
The Family Planning Summit of 2012 took place in London today. A stones throw from the UK Houses of Parliament, world leaders, activists and health care workers and providers gather together to put Family Planning back on table… Read More
Updated on October 13, 2016
Family Planning in Kenya – A Tale of Two Women
This week I will be blogging from the London Summit on Family Planning, organised by the UK government and the Gates Foundation. The ambitious aim is to provide family planning methods to an additional 120 million women worldwide… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Oi! P&G. THIS is how to advertise to women
Ok, before I start, I have to say that I know this is advertising. I am aware that Nike are trying to sell me their brand and they are cynically tugging at my heartstrings to do so. BUT… Read More
Updated on October 13, 2016
Living (HIV) Positively
Jasinta lives with the knowledge that she has HIV. She was diagnosed in 2009 but kept it a secret, even from her husband. ‘I lived in stigma and denial’, she told me. The stigma of HIV is a… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Introducing JUMP! Mag For Girls
It is done. The online magazine for pre-teen girls Jump! has launched. It has been a great experience, I have met fantastically talented writers and learnt lots about setting up and designing a (very basic)… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Who Will Believe Me, If I Don’t Believe Myself – Kelly’s Story
Kelly contacted me to ask if I would tell her story. She has never told anyone before. I believe you, Kelly. (TRIGGER WARNING) As a completely naive and rather lonely 16 year old I was invited… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Who Will Believe Me, If I Don’t Even Believe Myself – Part 2 – Gwen’s Story
The last post seemed to have touched a nerve. Already, within a few hours of posting it, I have had two emails from readers with similar stories. Their tales are heart rending, and rage inducing. And very thought… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Who Will Believe Me If I Don’t Even Believe Myself – A Guest Post
(Trigger Warning) During the discussions on Mumsnet over the past few weeks, as the #WeBelieveYou campaign got under way, many many women posted their story online. Some of them were telling their story for the very first… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Mary’s Story – We Believe You
Mary was just 23 years old when she met the man who would caused her so much pain. A rapist. An abusive man who later admitted that he sought out vulnerable women who he could dominate. Her story… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
A Survivor’s Story – We Believe You
This interview with a domestic abuse and rape survivor shows the importance of the Mumsnet We Believe You campaign. Read the posts of other bloggers and rape survivors on our blog hop, follow the discussion on Talk and… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
MYTH: Rape Can’t Take Place In an Ongoing Relationship
MYTH: Rape can’t take place in an ongoing relationship It has not been so very long since women stopped promising to “love, honour and obey” their husbands. All of my friends replaced “obey” with “respect”. The idea… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
A Guest Post – We Believe You
This is a guest post. The writer wishes to remain anonymous. The saddest thing about this story, is that she thinks that many would not empathise with her situation. I certainly did, and I suspect there are few… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
We BelieveYou – Mumsnet Rape Campaign
I was about 16 years old, already interested in politics and current affairs. I read newspaper articles, debated politics in school and with friends. I had read about rape, I knew what it meant but one day I… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Happy International Women’s Day
Traditionally in Germany, the women take over the country on Weiberfastnacht – the last Thursday before Lent. As part of the Karneval celebrations, this day is the official start of the carousing. Our first year in Düsseldorf, I… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Seeking Contributors For Pre-Teen Blog for Girls – No Fluffy Kittens or Pink Glitter
In a supermarket recently, my kids asked if they could have a comic. We headed for the newspaper stands and they browsed for a while but my daughter found it really difficult to choose one. She remarked that… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Quotas For Women – For or Against?
Quotas for women – a vital step towards equality or demeaning and patronising? It is something that I was thinking about last week. Are we doing ourselves a favour when we insist on quotas for women, whether… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2016
Waxing Children – Bannatyne vs Mumsnet
When is an acceptable age to allow your daughter to wax? And would you take her to a salon to have this done? Tricky question, and one I have been pondering this morning since reading on Twitter that… Read More
