Introduction to feminism

Watch the Everyday Sexism TED talk from Laura Bates (linked above) and answer the following questions:

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

She had the realisation, after being sexually harassed herself, that women all over the world, be it her family, friends or strangers, suffer from sexual harassment that has been normalised and so Laura created the project for people to voice their experiences to spread awareness and to help de-normalise this behaviour.

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

It links in the way that people believe that due to post-feminism that all the problem for women is suddenly solved after legislative equality is achieved but in reality is much more of a societal problem rooted in cultural norms and so feminism is still required to voice out these experiences that are still occurring today as women are still treated as objects of attraction rather than actual human beings which is demoralising.

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

The internet has provided the medium for people all around the world to voice there experiences from anywhere at anytime which allows the spread of awareness in not just a specific country or location but the entire world.

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 think that eventually the project will no longer be needed as i believe that peoples views and values will change with the times and awareness is being spread at such a rate that we will achieve proper equality and women will no longer need to be afraid or think that sexual harassment is okay to be normalised while the future of feminism is still quite unclear, as long as there are these inequalities in societal norms, feminism is required to continue to push for a better future.

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

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

Networked feminism is the fourth wave where by women aim to tackle social equality issues found on modern technology through the use of hashtags that promote and spread ideologies quickly through platforms like twitter. (e.g.  #yesallwomen or #womenagainstfeminism).

This is a problem as the previous waves of feminism have not all been able to fix their problems before the next waves which causes problems in perceptions of feminism and what it means. Some of the waves have achieved their goals and the future of online communication makes it really easy to instantly get messages across. However the term and concept of feminism has become blurred over the years as it has become prone to being compared to the suffragettes and man haters. This is a misconception as the term holds the ideas of anarcha-feminsm, liberal feminism and post modern feminists who generally have quite different views on what should be achieved or what should be done to achieve a specific type of equality which has caused a stigma to grow around the use of the word feminism. Kelly Clarkson summarised the modern impression of the terminology perfectly, by saying: I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist — that’s too strong. I think when people hear feminist, it’s like, ‘Get out of my way, I don’t need anyone’.

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

First: Suffragettes

Second: 1960's - 1990's Equality

Third: Post modern feminism 1990's - present

Fourth: Network feminism 2010 - Ongoing

I somewhat agree as there is an emphasis on using the internet and social media to spread awareness and push for greater equality and change in societal beliefs.

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: A place where people can post their or others experiences with sexual harassment of any kind to spread awareness of this type of treatment sill occurring towards women around the world.

HeForShe: focuses on male support for gender equality, highlighting the fact that feminism is not about

promoting matriarchy, but solidarity. This explicitly non-man-hating version of feminism, in which a woman can be successful in more than one aspect of their life, seems to remove the element of misandry that has blighted traditional feminism for so long.

FCKH8 campaign: the ‘Potty Mouth Princess’ YouTube video that went viral. The movement focuses on the modern representation of girls and the huge social inequalities they face, whilst featuring young girls ‘F-Bombing’ to highlight society’s imbalance when it comes to offences. The video is a complete paradigm shift in the representation of young girls. The existence of young, strong fighting women confronting issues such as pay inequality, rape culture and the sexualisation of women in this engaging way is new to the 21st-century feminist movement.

 

This Girl Can: has been described as the first fitness campaign for women which doesn’t shame or exclude them, by sharing photos, videos and quotes of women without the usual sexual exploitation of a women’s fitness advert and without body shaming.

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 think that it can be argued that it may be an extension of the third wave and that this is just a surge in pushing society further and not accepting that status quo of abuse after achieving their rights and that the internet has been a tool to push the third wave even further. However I believe that this is a new fourth wave and that feminism has changed and been accommodated by the internet to push problems that have been brought to light via the access of the internet and its communities that have now flourished as a result.