Jen Thorpe sees a poster in a shop window saying ‘Keep Calm and slap that bitch hard’ and asks the shop owner to take it down. This is what happened. Continue reading »
Filed under GENDER POLITICS …
The scourge of the single-mother
Athambile addresses the differences between different types of families, and how this should impact our thinking about single mothers Continue reading »
Women politicians in the firing line far more than men
Benedicta Van Minnen argues that whilst Thatcher may have made some mistakes, the type of criticism that was leveled at her and other female politicians speaks to deep seated sexism. Continue reading »
Complaint regarding Xpanda print and radio adverts
The media play a vital role in determining social perceptions of
women. They don’t only ‘represent’ reality – they help to construct
and define it. The South African media is saturated with images that
deride women, that market women as objects for sexual consumption.
Magnum ice-creams, Maverick’s cologne, Nandos chicken burgers – these
are among the products that local advertisers have sought to sell by
mimicking sexist stereotypes. Add to this list – security gates. Read the complaint from a number of concerned parties regarding Xpanda’s latest set of advertisements. Continue reading »
Kenny Kunene’s comments on rape require investigation
Jen Thorpe discusses Kenny Kunene’s disastrous examples of ignorance regarding rape, and argues that his comments regarding his statutory rape of students require investigation by the police. Continue reading »
Do Boys-only Schools Breed Violent Men?
Kameel Premhid examines the culture of masculinity that exists at persists at many all-boys schools and asks whether it contributes to violent behaviour among adult men. Continue reading »
Rape as slang
Meryl Jagarnath discusses the way popular culture has begun to use the term ‘rape’, and how this is problematic for her. ” “Rape” is used either negatively to represent damage (“That chemistry exam raped me”) or positively, representing triumph (“Yeah, I raped that chemistry exam”, “Did you watch the game last night?”, “Did you see how that football team got raped?”). The casual use of “rape” undermines the seriousness of sexual assault. And when I point it out, I’m seen as being too serious or “not getting the joke.” ” Continue reading »
Fitting the mould : beauty and empowerment
Lisa Bluett asks: Isn’t it time for us to reconsider the mould of what it means to be ‘female’ and to feel beautiful outside of the mainstream waves of femininity think we want or need in order to be empowered? Continue reading »
Is black beautiful?
Athambile Masola describes the representation of black women in magazines. “The lack of positive representations of black women in popular culture doesn’t mean black women are not beautiful, but we still have a long way to go in convincing the world, and particularly black women too, that black is beautiful.” Continue reading »
Becoming a feminist
Sona Mahendra discusses some of the things that made her begin to self-identify as a feminist, and some of the challenges the movement still faces. Continue reading »
