Feminism and the Beast (Do the Slut Walk - 11th June)

We’re Animals. Humans are animals. Why do we constantly forget this? 

We have intellect of course and we delight in creating rules and laws in an effort to civilise and elevate the society we live in.
Nevertheless we are animals and we do not always control our base instincts.

Men are in charge of the world because they are physically stronger. It has nothing to do with brainpower, it’s just good old fashioned law of the jungle.

In Europe over the last few centuries we have tried to master the art of taming our inner Beast. (This of course does not apply to Italy)
We haven’t succeeded, but there are rules we have to live by.

Yet if a female is unlucky enough to be born in a less socially structured geographical area, life could get heavy very early on. In Afghanistan (where rape is legal within marriage) if a sixty-year-old man can afford to buy a thirteen-year-old bride for £20.000, well then he can have her.

Don’t get me started on Thailand ….It feels a bit like the Beast is taming society as opposed to the other way around.
Humbert Humbert could run for president and be in with a good chance of winning.

Discrimination against women is not based on race or creed or social background, it sees no colour, it’s a global phenomenon that’s in the news every single day of the week.
If we think the way women are treated in another part of the world will not affect us, our daughters or our granddaughters in years to come we are sadly mistaken.
It’s a tiny globe we live on and it’s getting smaller.
Have you heard of consciousness of the collective? Scary stuff…. it could go either way.

So what are we western women doing about all this?

Over the last twenty years it seems we lost our urge to conquer new ground on the road towards equality. And, yes I’m going to bring it up again …Feminism has become a four letter word. Why?

There are still places in the world that as women it doesn’t make sense to go to.
You can’t get a job or be treated as an equal.
Women are being trafficked and sold into slavery.
Women are responsible for 2/3 of the work done world wide yet earn 10% of the total income and own 1% of the property.
Women are also still making up their minds whether to go on “Slut Walk” on the 4th June because of the S word and what it evokes.

I say have a look at some of the week’s headlines below and let’s meet up on the 4th June.
I say if you don’t like it let’s come up with a better word, one that speaks for us all.
But at least let’s meet up and take it from there.
I think there might be a need for it.

The Week in Headlines

• In this Harsh Afghan desert community women are hidden away and child brides sold for £20.000 – Evening Standard – Thursday 19th May

• Bristol rape victim’s husband wants Ken Clarke to resign – BBC News – Thursday 19th May

• Kenneth Clarke denies “rape is rape” - Telegraph - Wednesday 18th May

• One in five female employees in China have suffered harassment in the workplace – Stylist – Wednesday 18th May.

• Lured to Britain, locked up and raped at £30 a time. – Observer - Sunday 15th May

• IMF chief on rape charges: From vroom to bust – Guardian – Sunday 15th May



I'm not Bad, I'm just drawn that way? (Do the Slut Walk - 11th June)

I’m regularly told that I belong to a generation of women who aren’t feminists. Whenever it comes up in conversation with another woman I witness her need to defend herself against being called a man-hater.

So, before we go on and for the purposes of clarification here is the definition:

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic, social rights and opportunities for women.
It’s concepts overlap with those of women’s rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women’s issues but because feminism seeks gender equality; some feminists argue that men’s liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles.
Feminists – that is, persons practising feminism – may be persons of either sex.

And now…. on with the story…………

When I was five I developed a dislike for garages. Every once in a while I’d have to go to the one in our neighbourhood with Mum or Dad in order to pick up their car. A truly dull place, vacant of anything that might interest a little girl.
The real reasons for my aversion however were the pictures of naked women in the centre of the garage. Tiny waists, big bosoms and benign smiles. They looked like things and made my flat chested, barely there feminity feel extremely awkward.

I’d go bright red and feel a need to hide. I didn’t really know why, it just felt embarrassing. I wondered why it was ok to photograph women like that and this was before I knew anything about semiotics, semantics or feminism.

The woman I’ve become has encountered plenty of things that make her recoil in a similar way and other things she should mind but has become immune to.

Slut Walk. How’s that for a phrase? (When a Toronto policeman told a group of students they should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimised it caused a wave of protests, which will come to the U.K. next month – Observer 15.05.2011)
It conjures up all sorts of uncomfortable images and makes me cringe a little every time I say it. However in today’s society do women really have to dress up in an overtly provocative way in order to be victimised?

The inappropriate coverage of certain women in the media would suggest otherwise. Once you become the object of desire you could, depending on your admirer’s gaze, be a Madonna or a Whore.

Most of time it’s not really up to you or is it?

(To be continued.....)


http://thisaffectedyouth.com/2011/05/04/slut-walk-june-4th-trafalgar-square-london/
http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/community/forums/thread/1498929