Introduction to feminism

 Introduction to feminism: blog tasks

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

Bates was subjected to sexism and groping over a course of a week. She experienced men staring at her body, catcalling, being groped in the train. Even though she publicly asked for help during her situations, Bates realised nobody will help her, thinking she was the problem. Later she communicated with other women who shared her experience and decided to make the Everyday Sexism website to help acknowledge the use of sexism every day by sharing stories from women and men-

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

Everyday sexism links to post-feminism because it gives a platform for women to share their experience and expectations. All over the world, post-feminism has reached society yet. The world is changing to be more equal but women still experience this every day by looking at the data and stories shared.

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

Bates said she didn't have any budget for advertising and marketing but she if she could gather 20-30 women to share their stories, it will eventually start to spread throughout the internet. With the help of social media and online news articles, awareness started to spread gathering 75,000 women onto the website. 

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?

At one point in the future, feminism problems will be solved and the Everyday Sexism project will be looked at as piece of history. No-one knows how the future will be, maybe men's behaviour will change to be better or to be worse. 

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

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

Feminism can be divided into 4 different "waves". The 1st ewave starts in the 19th to early 20th centuries focusing on suffrage, 2nd wave began in the 1960s campaigning for equal pay, 3rd wave is the birth of post-feminism and the final 4th wave is known as networked feminism. Network feminism uses new technology to communicate and spread awareness of feminism. Using technology to make blogs, projects campaigns and hashtags.

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

Feminism can be divided into 4 different "waves". The 1st ewave starts in the 19th to early 20th centuries focusing on suffrage, 2nd wave began in the 1960s campaigning for equal pay, 3rd wave is the birth of post-feminism. For the 4th wave I do believe we are still in wave that we use technology to spread awareness. Using technology is a really good way to spread awareness and since it's so easy to get into and still being used every day, we are still in that era.

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 was a project 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. Three years later, Everyday Sexism is one of the most high-visibility feminist digital campaigns, arguably due to its user-generated content and its well-used #EverydaySexism Twitter feed.

He For She campaign led by the famous actress Emma Watson. In a speech to the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador. 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.

One of the most popular digital campaigns is the FCKH8 campaign. FCKH8 is a for-profit company that sells merchandise. This exploitation of feminism as an advertising tool created a huge backlash. In addition, the equation of swearing with ‘good’ feminism didn’t play well with a majority in the movement; and the digital aspect left the campaign open to numerous parodies and anti-feminist diatribes. 

This Girl Can campaign, which 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?