Feminism, Blog task

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

Laura started the project because she noticed an email from a student which was forwarded to her by the physics society at her university which said "stake your claim early in one in five girls". This suggested that the university viewed these women as sexual prey, more and more women came in and spoke to Laura about the abuse and similar experiences they felt within "Fresher's week". This sexual pressure was further backed up by more stories about "Fresher's weeks" rituals which often had derogatory and insulting title names. Moreover, the idea that freedom of choice was quite complex and controlled.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

The concept of post-feminism is the idea that in the 21st century womens rights have been achieved and most goals if not all have been achieved, now feminism is more about identity and challenging femininity/sexism. This means that things like "slut-shaming" or people being sexist still needs to be challenged. This links to the everyday sexism project because the project reveals that even though feminism has brought about rights of women and more freedom than they ever have had compared to the past they still suffer abuse and harassment to this day. Feminism is about equality between the sexes therefore it is debatable if it is needed in the present world because on one hand there is equality regarding the law but on the other hand women still receive abuse but the contrasting point is that men also suffer abuse and harassment.

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

New technology was absolutely crucial to the success of the project because it allowed people ie women who were victims to harassment to be able to share their experiences while remaining anonymous to the internet therefore protecting them from potentially being attacked. Moreover, it allowed for a wide amount of data to be collected and personal experiences to be compared to find similarities/a trend which is that in universities many people especially women suffer harassment day in and day out.

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I believe that one day hopefully the project will not be needed anymore, this is because by then universities would have installed rules and regulations for all students and any accounts of abuse/harassment of the slightest would hopefully be dealt with appropriately and professional in order to protect the victims. However, there are many bad people in this world and no matter what happens that will remain an unchanged variable regarding harassment however the least that can be done is that sexism in the work places, universities etc must be eradicated completely.

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

 

What is networked feminism?

 

Feminism can be divided into waves which help to describe their cultural context in which they began, networked feminism links to the fourth wave which aims to tackle social equality issues which are found on and by using modern technology ie blogs, youtube videos, campaigns etc. Ideologies and communities which were thought to have been eradicated by feminism have been brought back through the roots of the internet.

Why is it a problem? 

 

It is a major problem because the whole idea of feminism and the movement in general has fallen off compared to what its intended purposes was and day by day the meaning is being lost in translation and the essence of feminism is only partially understood in todays world.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘networked feminism’? 

 

The four waves of feminism are:

 

The first wave, 19th century - 20th century, main focus on suffrage.

The second wave, 1960s, campaigning for equal pay and equal rights. 

The third wave, late 1990s, post-feminism

The fourth wave, present, social equality issues.

I believe that we are in the fourth wave currently because technology is being developed everyday and there is so much content which is being created on the internet and a lot of harassment goes by undetected and is often left unresolved.

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a short summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

 

Everyday Sexism Project:

-Project started by Laura Bates back in 2012 as a website where users could post examples or personal experiences of sexism that they faced every day.

-An example would be the quote "Again and again people told me sexism is no longer a problem - that women are equal now" but the responses from users on the website proved differently.

HeForShe:

-Created by Watson and the campaign focuses on male support for gender equality.

-One example from the article would be the question "Any tips for teenage girls with parents who think they should aspire to marry and have kids rather than have a successful career?" and the answer was "Why not have both?" Implying that the question suggested a women has to pick one or the other.

FCKH8 campaign:

-This movement focused on modern representation of girls and the huge social inequalities they face day to day.

-An example from the article would be the music video in which the girls confidently shout questions that have challenged them in the past for example "im not some pretty fucking helpless princess in distress" and this video gained over 1.6million views.

This Girl Can:

-A fitness campaign which doesn't shame women or exclude them by sharing photos, videos or quotes of women without any language or implications of sexual exploit.

-An example would be the online petition named "Stop taxing periods. Period" which calls for tampons to stop being taxed as if they were high class luxury items when in reality for women they are a necessity. 

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

I believe that feminism in general has fallen off and the movement is heading off in the wrong direction, nowadays many people especially younger people who are active on social media claim to be feminists when in reality their sole goal is to inflict pain and suffering onto men and to exact revenge. Feminism however should remain in today's world but the main goal should be to end sexual abuse/harassment and to end sexism for both genders. The digital realm has definitely brought back many negative things that the first and second waves of feminism fought and challenged and there is a lot of abuse that happens daily due to people having the notion that they can hide behind a screen and degrade people. I would agree with the notion that the everyday sexism project is an extension of the fourth wave because post feminism means that rights and equality has been achieved and any accounts of sexism/harassment in the work force or in schools etc are now challenged strictly however social equality issues is still a very prominent issue in todays world.