Seen by my boyfriend in a hotel car park in Doncaster
Anyone who knows me will already be aware that I am a bit of a feminist. I don't like to shove it down people's throats because I have always believed it is fine to have beliefs, so long as you don't force them on others. Recently though I've encountered a fair few articles/incidents/programmes that have made me a little angry.
A friend posted this site on facebook which seeks "to catalogue instances of sexism experienced by women on a day to day basis'. It is a website where women can post their experiences of sexism just to demonstrate that it is ever present today and to raise discussion. The founder of the site, Laura Bates, is also working on producing a film under the Chime for Change initiative which will share the testimonies of women and hopefully spread the message that sexism has not disappeared far and wide.
Some universities have picked up on Bates' idea with facebook groups such as Sexism at GUU, Sexism at Cambridge and Sexism at Aberysthwyth University. It's shocking just how many people have come forward with testimonies, from comments in the street or workplace to sexual abuse and violence.
I have been lucky in my experiences, just the odd word in the street or patronising comment in the work place, and I have always challenged the originator. One instance that really stuck in my mind though was during my time at school when a teacher made comments about my mother that were completely inappropriate and he would never have said to a male student. The comments made me feel uncomfortable and unhappy. I reported the incident and it was never repeated again but it shouldn't of happened in the first place. I know other girls that wouldn't have done anything, simply because it is so much a social norm that we come to expect it in our day to day life.
I'm not saying men are exempt from sexism, I definitely think there is a double standard, but unless we challenge it and draw attention to abuse then how can we ever hope to progress? Abuse is unacceptable, whether it is physical or mental and these comments and actions of sexism are exactly that.
For an interesting internet experience, try the Jailbreak the Patriarchy Google Chrome extension created by Danielle Sucher. It changes all gender terms in your websites and can be both amusing and thought provoking. Try it out.
A friend posted this site on facebook which seeks "to catalogue instances of sexism experienced by women on a day to day basis'. It is a website where women can post their experiences of sexism just to demonstrate that it is ever present today and to raise discussion. The founder of the site, Laura Bates, is also working on producing a film under the Chime for Change initiative which will share the testimonies of women and hopefully spread the message that sexism has not disappeared far and wide.
Some universities have picked up on Bates' idea with facebook groups such as Sexism at GUU, Sexism at Cambridge and Sexism at Aberysthwyth University. It's shocking just how many people have come forward with testimonies, from comments in the street or workplace to sexual abuse and violence.
I have been lucky in my experiences, just the odd word in the street or patronising comment in the work place, and I have always challenged the originator. One instance that really stuck in my mind though was during my time at school when a teacher made comments about my mother that were completely inappropriate and he would never have said to a male student. The comments made me feel uncomfortable and unhappy. I reported the incident and it was never repeated again but it shouldn't of happened in the first place. I know other girls that wouldn't have done anything, simply because it is so much a social norm that we come to expect it in our day to day life.
I'm not saying men are exempt from sexism, I definitely think there is a double standard, but unless we challenge it and draw attention to abuse then how can we ever hope to progress? Abuse is unacceptable, whether it is physical or mental and these comments and actions of sexism are exactly that.
For an interesting internet experience, try the Jailbreak the Patriarchy Google Chrome extension created by Danielle Sucher. It changes all gender terms in your websites and can be both amusing and thought provoking. Try it out.