Introduction to Feminism

Everyday Sexism

Watch the Everyday Sexism TED talk from Laura Bates and answer the following questions:

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

• Laura Bates started the Everyday Sexism project in order to bring attention to the amount of sexism that women face in everyday life.

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

• It shows that despite how far women's rights have come they still experience things that men are much less likely to experience such as everyday sexism.

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

• New technology was essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project as it allowed women from all over the world to share their stories with other women allowing them to see that they aren't alone in experiencing whats happening to them.

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?

• There may be a point in the future where the Everyday Sexism project is no longer required however I believe that it is a long while away from truly reaching that point as many people all over the world still hold the same views.

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64).

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

• The new fourth wave of feminism is also known as 'networked feminism', it aims to tackle social equality issues found both on, and using, modern technology. It is a problem as the internet has so many different communities of people claiming to be feminists and an equal amount of those who claim to be against it, and so definitions and ideologies can become blurred. Feminists are still frequently described as 'man-haters' with the Greek term misandry often being used to describe the movement.

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

1. First wave: 1848 - 1920 Suffragettes women's rights
2. Second wave: 1960's - 1990's Equality
3. Third wave: Post modern feminism 1990's - present
4. Fourth wave: Network feminism 2010 - Ongoing

• I partially agree that we are in the fourth wave of 'networked feminism' as the internet and modern technology are integral to the modern day feminist movement as they use it to spread their message to as many people as possible.

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 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.
• the He For She campaign led by Emma Watson. In a speech to the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador, Watson said: Fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating... it is not the word that is important but the idea and the ambition behind it... Men, gender equality is your issue too. 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, and more specifically 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 girls confidently shout: I’m not some pretty fucking helpless princess in distress... What is more offensive? A little girl saying fuck or the fucking unequal and sexist way society treats girls and women? The video is a complete paradigm shift in the representation of young girls, and clearly a representation that audiences enjoyed: after just three months on YouTube the video had gained 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.
• This Girl Can campaign, 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 1990's?

• I believe that 'fourth wave' feminism is just an extension of third wave feminism as they are fighting for the same thing with the only difference between them being the platform used to share their beliefs.