Introduction to feminism

Everyday Sexism

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 started the Everyday Sexism Project to catalogue the spectrum of sexism faced day-to-day by women.

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

They two link because post feminism suggests that we have already met the needs of feminists and that Everyday Sexism Project may suggest otherwise. I do think feminism is still needed because there are still multiple areas where women face discrimination and inequality.  

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

It was essential because it provided a platform for people to share all their experiences and raise awareness about sexism from all around the 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 believe that there will always be sexism in the world because of societies norms and biases and the Everyday Sexism Project will be required for quite a long time. 

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?

The fourth wave of feminism is also known as ‘networked feminism'. It aims to tackle social equality issues on 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.

It is a problem because feminists still deal every day with misconceptions and prejudice: the idea that rape or coercive sex may be justified if a woman is wearing provocative clothing, the huge gender pay gap despite equality legislation, the ubiquitous representations of women as weak and disempowered, to name but a few.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘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 that we are in the fourth wave of feminism due to the rise of digital media. Everything nowadays is all online such as the Everyday Sexism Project. People use the internet to spread awareness about the problems of sexism online. 

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.

-The Everyday Sexism Project was founded by writer and activist Laura Bates in April 2012. It began life as a website where people could share their experiences of daily, normalized sexism, from street harassment to workplace discrimination to sexual assault and rape.

-HeForShe is an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality.

-FCKH8 is a viral video campaign combating racism, sexism and homophobia.

-This Girl can is a campaign that celebrates active women who are doing their thing no matter how they look, how well they do it or how sweaty they get.

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?

My opinion to feminism and digital media is that it it allows people from all over the world to post about their experiences online and talk about how it is not right for women to be treated this way. The internet is a newer, easier way to spread awareness about this. I do believe that we are in a fourth wave due to rise of digital media and how a lot of things can now be accessed online such as the Everyday Sexism Project. It allows people from anywhere at anytime to speak up about their experiences.