1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?
Laura Bates started the Everyday Sexism project because within a week she experienced multiple sexual comments or assaults and felt like nothing was being done about it. Also, when she went to speak to women about similar things, they all had loads of stories to tell and this gave Laura more reason to start the Everyday Sexism project.
2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?
The 'Everyday Sexism' project links to the concept of post-feminism as the project allows people to share their stories regarding sexual assaults etc, and shows that feminism is still needed due to females still experiencing countless sexual assaults. Therefore, the project also shows that feminism is still required in western societies.
The 'Everyday Sexism' project links to the concept of post-feminism as the project allows people to share their stories regarding sexual assaults etc, and shows that feminism is still needed due to females still experiencing countless sexual assaults. Therefore, the project also shows that feminism is still required in western societies.
3) How can you apply Judith Butler's theory of gender as a 'performance' to the creation of the Everyday Sexism project?
Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed. By dividing men and women, feminists accidentally reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders. She also believes that gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology. Therefore, Butler's theory of gender as a 'performance' can be applied to the 'Everyday Sexism', as most sexual accusations are based upon a woman's body, rather than anything else.
4) How does Angela McRobbie's work on female empowerment link to the Everyday Sexism project?
Butler believes traditional feminists are wrong to divide society into ‘men’ and ‘women’ and says gender is not biologically fixed. By dividing men and women, feminists accidentally reinforced the idea of differences between the two genders. She also believes that gender roles are ‘a performance’ and that male and female behaviour is socially constructed rather than the result of biology. Therefore, Butler's theory of gender as a 'performance' can be applied to the 'Everyday Sexism', as most sexual accusations are based upon a woman's body, rather than anything else.
4) How does Angela McRobbie's work on female empowerment link to the Everyday Sexism project?
Angela McRobbie's work on female empowerment links to the Everyday Sexism project as she highlights women's empowerment and emphasises the fact that women shouldn't go through things alone, which is very similar to the Everyday Sexism project.
Media Magazine: The fourth wave?
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. It's aim is to solve problems on both both on, and using, modern technology. Thousands of campaigns, blogs and hashtags have
been used to spur on the feminist upheaval. Ideologies and communities that were thought to have been extinct have been watered back to life through the roots of the internet. User-generated content websites have seemed to flourish with the words
of the feminists: blogs, submission sites and YouTube are all being utilised to set up, grow and oppose campaigns. Twitter is a big player in representing modern feminism; people are now able to instantly engage with the ideologies, and hashtags such as #WomenAgainstFeminism and #YesAllWomen have trended.
2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’?
First wave: early 20th century, suffragette movement (right to vote).
Second wave: 1960s – 1990s, reproductive rights (pill), abortion, equal pay.
Third wave: 1990s – present, empowerment, reclaiming of femininity (high heels, sexuality etc. See Angela McRobbie's work on women's magazines).
Fourth wave? 2010 – ongoing, use of new technology and digital media (e.g. Twitter) for activism.
I do agree we are in the fourth wave of 'networked feminism'. Due to everything mainly being online now, more programmes such as 'Everyday Sexism' for example are mainly based online, rather than anywhere else.
3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.
Everyday Sexism:
The project was started by Laura Bates back in 2012 as a website which posted examples of sexism that users faced every day. Laura set it up after finding feminism hard to talk about, saying: ‘Again and again, people told me sexism is no longer a problem – that women are equal now’. The response she received proved differently, with 50,000 entries of sexist experiences made by December 2013. This project is now one of the most high-visibility feminist digital campaigns, arguably due to its user-generated content and its well-used #EverydaySexism Twitter feed. It is also said, that this programme is where it is, in terms of success due to social media. Furthermore, not only does the programme focus on female problems, but it focuses on men as well; ‘This is not solely a ‘make the men wrong’ approach,’.
HeForShe:
The HeForShe campaign is led by Emma Watson. Watson’s campaign focuses on male support for gender equality, highlighting the fact that feminism is not about promoting matriarchy, but solidarity. Her digital commitment means that you can pledge to help the women’s issue online,and has generated a huge response. Watson utilised Twitter for a Q&A session during the campaign’s promotion at Davos, and represented both feminism and He For She as dynamic and integrated. Watson believes that you can have both; a successful job and being married with kids. Nonetheless, many people have argued that the 'HeForShe' campaign makes females too reliant on males. They also argue, that men are stereotyped in the way that they are the ones who get everything done, and women simply rely on them.
FCKH8 campaign:
FCKH8 campaign is one of the most popular digital campaigns. The campaign/movement mainly 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. FCKH8 is mainly popular for it's youtube video that went viral, the ‘Potty Mouth Princess’, gaining 1.6 million views. However, FCKH8 is actually a for-
profit company, and the video is in fact trying to sell its t-shirts. This exploitation of feminism as an advertising tool created a huge backlash and was hugely criticised. Nonetheless, the campaign shows that being strong and fighting 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:
This Girl Can campaign is a campaign mainly regarding women's bodies. The campaign has been described to be 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. However, the campaign has been largely criticised by feminist activists themselves – on social media fora. Moreover, there is an online petition explaining that tampons shouldn't be regarded as a 'luxury item' as it's more of an essential item.
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 do believe that currently we are living in a fourth wave, due to everything mainly being online and on social media. Furthermore, due to the 'Everyday Sexism' project being primarily online I do agree with the point that the 'Everyday Sexism' project is an extension from the third wave.
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