Rhul Pussy Riot raises £96.93 for The Tatiana Giraud Foundation

by Hannah Bowers

After our event in 2011 in aid of Platform 51 we were delighted to be asked to put on another event for SURHUL's S.H.A.G (Sexual Health Awareness) Week 2012. We teamed up with the Art Soc and Amnesty Soc and threw a PUSSY RIOT Live Music/Open Mic night at the Stumble Inn on campus to raise money for the  Tatiana Giraud Foundation; supporting victims of rape and sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We had live music from  Sam Winston, Rose Dutton,  Hannah Bowers, Anna Mikelsone, VP Communications & Campaigns officer Jamie Green and even some of RHUL’s very own belly dancers. The revelers had an amazing night; everyone was dancing in Amnesty’s brightly coloured stickers with their faces painted courtesy of ArtSoc - And let’s not forget the scrummy Riot Cakes donated by Unchained Baking which were sold to raise money for the Tatiana Giraud Foundation!

Overall, the night was a huge success raising £96.93 for the T G Foundation to help victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


[TW] The DRC has a long tragic history of war - a war in which rape is often used as a weapon to subjugate the populations of regions armies wish to control. A woman or girl is raped every 8 minutes in the DRC; some of whom have been left with broken bones, missing limbs and burnt flesh after these attacks. Men have been forced at gunpoint to rape their sisters, mothers and daughters. The T G Foundation, which became a registered charity in 2010, aims to actively contribute to the restoration of women, children, communities and families that have been victims of sexual violence in the DRC and to re-establish communities where women and children can be valued and respected.

The foundation does this by supporting various projects. One of which is the Gesom Hospital, which provides affordable treatment to help women who have suffered debilitating damage to their reproductive organs as a result of rape. The other is the Centre Kitumaini, which the T G Foundation has partnered with to fund an education and a food program which currently puts 100 children whose community and families have been affected by rape, through school and provides them with food. It’s amazing that such an awesome night has helped these women and children, who desperately need our support. If you want to donate to this wonderful charity, please do so by clicking here.  

Just in case you missed the first ever live performance of Everwrit’s dub-step remix of my song Danger Danger you can hear it by clicking play below

Thanks again to everyone who made the night such a success and you can all view more pictures buy clicking here.  We are really looking forward to planning our next Pussy Riot and hope to see you there :) 

Armpits4August!

Allot of the time, the stereotypical image of a Feminist seems to include being hairy. As Rhul Fem Soc highlighted in our Rumour has it campaign, some of us shave, some of us don't, what's the big deal?  The taboo over body hair always seems to be floating around, be it armpit, leg, arm or pubic hair. So we were delighted when we came across this amazing new campaign called Armpits4August and have been following their work ever since. And they were even nice enough to give us an interview :)

So, what is the aim of Armpits4August and how did this campaign begin?

Armpits4August: One of our members, Sarah, originally came up with the idea last year. As a sufferer of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), she found that the most difficult symptom to deal with on a day-to-day basis was hirsutism (excess hair growth). What’s more, as she had already started growing out some of her body hair, she wanted to do something to refute the notion that body hair on women is unclean, ‘unnatural’ or disgusting, whilst also highlighting the constant pressure on women to be hairless, and how difficult it is to go against this norm. The rest of us joined the campaign in varying levels of hairiness – from frequent hair-removers to full-time hairies – and whilst not all of us suffer from PCOS, we all have friends who do.

We came up with two main aims to our campaign: firstly, to raise awareness of and money for PCOS – a serious condition which affects around 10% of women – and secondly, to challenge narrow beauty standards which claim that only hairlessness is acceptable and attractive, whilst also providing a space for women to talk about their relationship with their body hair. All the money we raise goes to Verity, the UK’s largest charity for PCOS sufferers.

Why do you think that body hair is constantly made a big deal of in the media?

Armpits4August: I see it as part of a larger system where in the media, and indeed many members of the public, feel that it is ok and even their right to comment upon and police women’s bodies and appearances. For example, we have all seen the trashy magazine articles denouncing the fact that a female celebrity has ‘dared’ to leave the house without make-up on, or has put on or lost weight (depending on whatever has been arbitrarily deemed the ‘correct’ body size at the time). For me, this is just one example of the way in which patriarchal society attempts to deny bodily autonomy to women.

In terms of body hair in particular, I think it is either viewed in the media as a further example of women
having ‘forgotten’ to consistently keep up with beauty standards (like, for example, the recent coverage of Pixie Lott’s hairy underarms, or as something altogether more deviant, as a radical act of defiance by women. Because hairlessness has become such an entrenched norm, by refusing to depilate you are often automatically seen as making some kind of statement even when this is not the case; I think seeing body hair on women also creates a kind of panic in some people (and some journalists!) because the ‘rules’ of ‘femininity’ and ‘attractiveness’ are being transgressed.

What sort of feedback was you expecting from the campaign and what sort of feed back have you received?

Armpits4August:To begin with we had no idea whether the campaign would be successful and whether it would take off like it has. We knew that there was a dearth of awareness of PCOS in the public domain and we also knew that there were women out there who didn’t shave or who wanted to try growing out their body hair, but we weren’t sure if we could pull the two things together. However, the overwhelming majority of feedback we have received has been positive: from PCOS sufferers who felt like no-one understood their experiences to women who have finally felt able to throw away the razor as a result of our campaign. Of course, we were also expecting a fair amount of negative feedback from people who still think that female body hair is disgusting or ‘unfeminine’, and whilst we have had some of that, the positives have by far outweighed the negatives.

What have been the highlights of the campaign so far?

Armpits4August: On July 1st we held a day of action to promote the campaign; not only was it really successful in raising our profile, it was also very fun to do! We decided to ‘arm-bush’ statues of women around London: we made a number of ‘pit-wigs’ out of wool and then, after carefully avoiding any marauding security guards, we attached them to the statues along with a large tag saying ‘Armpits4August’, before tweeting a photo of each of them. We got a huge response on Twitter and Tumblr and I think that that day in particular really kick-started our campaign.

Since then we have also done another day of action on the South Bank, where we ‘got our pits out’ and talked to members of the public about their thoughts on female body hair; we have also held a couple of talks at Lambeth Women’s Project and the Feminist Library, where we got some great feedback and signed up some new members. My personal highlight was talking to Jenni Murray about the campaign on Woman’s Hour a couple of weeks ago!

Finally, we are holding a Pit Pride Party in central London on Friday 31st August and we encourage all self- identifying women – whether they are growing their pits for August or not – to come down, talk about their relationship with their body hair and meet other women in various stages of hairiness and in solidarity. I’m hoping that this will be an evening where we can really let our hair down (pun intended) after all the hard work.

We hear some of the women taking part in this event have been blogging about their Armpits4August experiences, what stories have you found the most intriguing?

Armpits4August: For me, the most interesting stories have been from those women for whom Armpits4August is the first time they have stopped shaving on a regular basis. In particular, my friend Hannah who, when I mentioned the campaign to her a couple of months ago, told me that she would never be able to stop shaving and that she didn’t like her own body hair. She is now keeping a daily blog with updates of her pits and has had a complete change in opinion! She has become brave enough to go out and face the world with unshaven pits and gives me frequent reports on her daily experiences with friends, family and co-workers!

There have also been a number of men who have pledged to shave their pits every day in solidarity; unsurprisingly most of their feedback has been complaints about the pain, itchiness and the amount of time they have to spend to keep the hair at bay. In a slightly sadistic way I think that this is great, as it really helps to open some men’s eyes to the amount of work women have to put in to stay attractive according to patriarchal society’s norms.

Many Student Unions get really involved in Movember, how do you think Student Unions can get involved in Armpits4August?

Armpits4August: Although most students are away from campus during August, we hope that Armpits4August could fit into a larger scheme throughout the year whereby SUs promote body positivity and body confidence, and of course fight to stamp out sexism at universities all over the country. Where possible, we are more than happy to come to campuses to run workshops on body hair and/or PCOS and we strongly encourage any feminist societies or women’s groups to contact us, get more involved and perhaps even hold their own Pit Pride Parties at the end of August. Students are generally great at fundraising so it would be great to hear about any inventive ideas people come up with to raise more money.

What plans do you currently have to raise awareness of POC and pit pride throughout the year?

Armpits4August: We will be maintaining an active online presence on Facebook and Twitter and hope to continue discussions about PCOS and body hair through these media. We are also very happy to come and talk about the campaign at feminist or women’s events throughout the UK. As we now have a full year to plan for next August’s campaign, we hope to come back in 2013 (and every year after that) even bigger, better and more well-organised than before!

What advice would you give to other groups that want to tackle body hair taboos?

Armpits4August: Firstly, now is definitely the time to get started: we’ve witnessed a real upsurge in awareness about the issue over recent months and I think body hair has become part of the zeitgeist: women are definitely keen to talk about the issue. In terms of campaigning in general, don’t be put off if it’s difficult at first: it’s a lot of hard work but it’s 100% worth it. Network with other feminists, both in real life and online, and finally: never underestimate the power of Twitter. Seriously.

If anyone wants to get in contact with us for more advice or to let us know about any groups or campaigns they’ve set up or are in the process of doing so, we would love to hear from you!

To see photos and video from our two days of action, visit www.flickr.com/photos/armpits4august/ and www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rK6SoE9neY

To donate to Armpits4August and help us reach our team target of £3000, visit: our JustGiving Page 

For more information about the campaign, visit www.armpitsforaugust.com

Freedom of speech, anti-abortion protestors and women: Rights and Limits

Previous bpca counter vigil (Ft two Rhul Fem Soc Members)

British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) supports reproductive choice and health by advocating and providing safe, high quality, reproductive health services on a not-for-profit basis. BPAS also offer emergency contraception in advance of need at their clinics, their services are the kind of innovative and accessible scheme that people need. It has reported that this September, 40 Days for Life, an Evangelical Christian group with roots in the US, will resume their vigil outside the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic in London. 

Their previous stint outside the clinic, undoubtedly intended to dissuade women from entering, was met with vibrant counter-vigils from pro-choice activists led by Bloomsbury Pro-Choice Alliance, which culminated in a large counter-demonstration which brought pro-choice groups together to oppose 40DFL.

Shortly before the return of 40DFL to the BPAS clinic in Bloomsbury Square, BPAS are holding a debate examining the challenges posed by the activities of anti-abortion protestors outside clinics for those with a commitment to freedom of speech. We'll be there to discuss this important and timely issue – we hope you will be too!

Freedom of speech, anti-abortion protestors and women: Rights and Limits

bpas 2012 public debate Tuesday 11th September, 2012

6.30pm, Conway Hall 

Free and open to all – book your place by emailing katherine.o'brien@bpas.org

For more posts on sexual health on this blog click here. Also just found an interesting post by Abortion Gang on Christianity and abortion. 

Scarleteen: UK Hurdles to Emergency Contraception

"Perhaps we'd be better off if emergency contraception could be seen for what it is, a medical and societal necessity instrumental to equality and female empowerment" Scarleteen

Following our popular blogpost My Emergency Contraception Service Experience, our friends at Scarleteen produced some useful information on what kind of service one should expect to receive from a pharmacy when in need of emergency contraception in the UK. Here are some main points.




AGE:

• The age you can legally consent to medical treatment and to sex are the same; 16 in the whole of the UK.
• Many pharmacies won't serve under-16s without a prescription, but they are allowed to.
• The policies on that are often standardised across a local area. That given, if you're under 16 and having sex it's worth finding out whether, in your local area, you'll need to get a prescription by going to your GP or an NHS Walk in centre, etc, or if you can just buy it over the counter. Being a young person can also mean you might be able to get it for free, but this varies around the country.
• Basically, however: you can't be told you're too young if you're over 16. If you're under 16, being served is at the discretion of the pharmacy but it is not illegal. It often costs roughly £25 if you're over 25, and is often free if you're under 16, 16-25 it can vary.

Buying for someone else:

In the UK, pharmacies explain to you what the medication does and how to take it and they get you to sign something saying you understand. Unfortunately, that means it doesn't allow for a friend or partner to go get it for you.

Refusal on Religious Grounds:

In the UK, the General Pharmaceutical Council outline that on Religious Grounds you may be refused emergency contraception, however the pharmacist must inform you that this is why they are refusing you (they can't tell you some other false reason) and they then must direct you to an alternative venue for buying it so long as it will be realistically accessible to you in the time frame, otherwise they're guided to serve you.

This is all in the guidance and standards aimed at pharmacists and published by the GPhC. 

You [ie the pharmacist] must:  

2.2  Make sure that your professional judgement is not affected by personal or organisational interests, incentives, targets or similar measures

2.4  Be prepared to challenge the judgement of your colleagues and other  professionals if you have reason to believe that their decisions could affect the safety or care of others

2.5  In an emergency, consider all available options and do your best to provide care and reduce risks to patients and the public. 

3.4  Make sure that if your religious or moral beliefs prevent you from providing a service, you tell the relevant people or authorities and refer patients and the public to other providers

The above experts are from the GPhC's Standards of conduct. ethics and performance.

The following is from Guidance on the provision of pharmacy services affected by religious moral beliefs.

Remember 

• If you do not supply Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC), (either over the counter or against a prescription) women should be referred to an alternative appropriate source of supply available within the time limits for EHC to be effective.

• If you do not supply Routine Hormonal Contraception, women should be referred to an alternative appropriate source of supply available within the time periodwhich will not compromise the woman’s contraceptive cover.

• If you refer a patient to a doctor’s surgery or hospital you should think about whether  the patient will be seen by a doctor or other appropriate practitioner within the time frame required for treatment to be effective (i.e. consider factors such as the practice’s opening hours and whether the patient will be able to get there). 

• If you refer a patient to another pharmacy, check that there will be a pharmacist available there who can provide the service and that they have the relevant stock.

and

2.7 Patients should not be discouraged from seeking further information or advice. 

For the full report please see the original post by Scarleteen. You can also use http://www.fpa.org.uk/helpandadvice/findaclinic to find a local clinic that will give you emergency contraception for free.

Contraception: Action on Access

Today, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health published it's report Healthy Women, Health Lives? The cost of curbing access to contraception services. Their inquiry found that there were significant restrictions on access to contraception services in many parts of the country, meaning that some groups of women – particularly, women over the age of 25 and women who were away from their borough of residence – found access to contraception difficult. They also found that in some areas, the number of available methods of contraception were restricted. The report recommends that any restrictions on the basis of age, residence or method should be removed as a matter of urgency – all women should have access to the full range of contraceptives and contraceptive services.

A thread that runs throughout the report is concern that “efficiency savings” within the NHS are leading to contraception services being cut, and to restrictions in provision. This is despite the fact that investment in contraception services has enormous financial benefits in reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies – it's estimated that for every £1 spent on contraception services, £12.50 is saved. Restrictions on the basis of residence (e.g. only allowing women who live within a certain area to access contraception services there) are likely to be financial, due to the way services are funded on a geographical basis. Other restrictions, such as only allowing the less expensive varieties of the contraceptive pill to be prescribed by clinicians, have a very obvious financial rather than clinical motive.

Additionally, services are being shut or redesigned with restricted access, so that some women are unable to access specialist Contraception and Sexual Health (CaSH) services, and can only access contraception through their GP. This will have the biggest impact on young women, women from ethnic minorities, and women from deprived areas, who are the greatest users of specialist CaSH services. The report is clear that the programme of NHS efficiency savings is directly resulting poorer access to contraception services for women.

There is also significant concern that the new commissioning arrangements being brought in with the Health and Social Care Bill will have a negative impact on access to contraception services. The report found that clinicians felt that the way sexual health services will be commissioned under the new arrangements is still very unclear, and this lack of clarity over the future was limiting the scope for improving services. This is particularly the case because a crucial policy document, which was supposed to be published last year, has still not been published.
Although not directly mentioned in the report, a further concern on the future of CaSH services is the Health and Social Care Bill's provision for the entrance of provide providers into the NHS. Virgin Care has already shown a significant interest in providing CaSH services, and has taken over contracts for the provision of CaSH services in a number of areas (Virgin sexual health services – you couldn't make it up!). The types of rationing and restriction of contraception services that we are already seeing may become more widespread as services are taken over by private providers whose number one priority will be making the most profit possible. This will mean that they may well only provide what they are contractually obliged to, rather than what is best for women, and decisions such as the type of contraception to offer may be increasingly based on cost rather than need.

Those campaigning for access to contraception (and that, by the way, should be everyone campaigning for the rights of women!) must watch these new developments very closely in order to make sure that access to contraception is not further eroded by cuts, commissioning changes, and private providers.

RHUL Feminism Society believe that contraception is a feminist issue. We want to see “Action on Access” to increase access to contraception for all women. We've recently blogged on the Save the Children campaign “Girl Power Saves Lives” which illustrates how access to family planning is a crucial part of saving children's lives. We also blogged a few months ago about the experiences of some of our members in accessing emergency contraception – if you are are from the local area and have any stories, we'd love to hear them.

Whilst we're on the topic of contraception, the British Pregnancy Advisory Services are currently running an absolutely brilliant scheme for residents of Greater London, where, after a quick chat on the phone, they will send you a FREE morning after pill (emergency contraception pill) can keep in case you need it. We think that this is fantastic, and the kind of innovative and accessible scheme that women need. Thanks, BPAS!

Family Planning: Girl Power Saves Lives

What would your life be like if you weren’t able to make your own decisions? Like getting married or  giving birth. Contraception has given many women* the power to make this decision and take control of their bodies. However, this is not the case for many others around the world, imagine being in that position.

How family planning saves children's lives:

• When adolescent girls have the power to delay pregnancy until their bodies are ready, fewer children die.
• When women can choose to leave a healthy space between their pregnancies, their babies are better nourished, and fewer children die.
• And when more children survive, women have fewer children and families become smaller.
• Children get to grow up in a world where there’s more to go around.
• Contraception and the expert advice and care provided by health workers are crucial to creating this virtuous circle.
• But above all, what’s needed is a profound shift that sees women educated and empowered to make the right decisions for themselves and their children.

David Cameron will be hosting The Family Planning Summit in London on July 11th, and as well as funding increased access to contraception, the #givegirlspower campaign by Save the Children wants world leaders to agree to the following commitments:

• Access to contraception: all women, everywhere, must be able to access safe and reliable contraception.
• Empowerment: women everywhere must have the power to plan their families; they must have rights and protection enshrined in law. This must include equal access to education, including sex education, to ensure contraception is used effectively.
  

Contraception is a feminist issue, and in light of what is happening around the world in terms of access to family planing and safe abortions, I think its fair to say that this particular battle has yet to be won. The charity Plan is also calling for the need for women & girls to have more choices over their future, fight forced marriage & stay in school. Please help raise awareness and support organisations like Plan and Save the Children by spreading this message as far as possible. If you have Twitter, please follow the #givegirlspower hashtag to see how the progress of the the campaign. 

Thankyou 

*Apologies for an under-recognition of non-binary genders in this statement.

Come Dine With Rhul Fem Soc Raises £57.27 for Scarleteen.com

In a small town called Egham, on a sunny Sunday, some feminists got together and ate and drank and ate  and judged food and all in the name of feminism and charity. Scarleteen.com is a brilliant sexual health education organisation for young people and we love their work so please check out their website!

by Susuana

My Emergency Contraception Service Experience

 "I had a horrible experience once when I needed some emergency contraception. I went to a Boots pharmacy which said on the door come here for emergency contraception. So I went in and asked and the woman pharmacist told me that due to her religious beliefs she was unable to serve me the morning after pill. Not only did the way she said it make me feel like a complete slut, it also meant that I came very close to not being able to get hold of any- which obviously could have lead to like, much bigger issues, especially as personally I don't think I'd ever get an abortion. 

I completely respect everyone's right to their own beliefs and opinions and while I would never judge anybody for their decisions I don't think it's right i get judged for mine- especially for people who are acting in a professional capacity. It was a bloody pharmacy and though she is perfectly entitled to her own beliefs i really don't think its fair she be working there if those beliefs interfere with her ability to do her job. There should at least be another pharmacist on duty when she is who is able to dispense emergency contraception. 

I'm a vegetarian but if I got a job at Tesco I wouldn't refuse to serve anybody buying meat. I don't like the idea of forcing people to act against their own principles however, so if there are doctors who really don't feel they can perform abortions, or pharmacists who don't feel they can dispense the morning after pill, as long as their personal belief doesn't inhibit my ability to get that service, I don't think it's a problem. so basically as long as there is always somebody else available at that time who can and will do it for me with the same competency and immediacy. I totally respect their opinions but i expect them to respect, if disagree with, mine."

"Before I discuss my personal experiences with contraception, I want to draw attention to the growing ‘hate’ against birth control, especially in America and increasingly here in the UK. In North Carolina a few weeks ago, New Hanover County Chairman Ted Davis spoke in rejection of a state grant to cover the costs of family-planning for those earning low wages. Ted Davis is quoted in the Wilmington Star-News as saying, “If [they were] responsible and didn’t have the sex to begin with, we wouldn’t have this problem”. Because having sex without contraception when you can’t afford a child or afford/don’t-want-to-have an abortion is responsible, right?

So, what are my experiences with contraception? I don’t live a country that is as obsessed with controlling women’s reproductive choices as America. Planning to be sexually active (woo-hoo!), and not wanting immediate children, I went to the nearest doctor’s surgery and asked about contraception. Hmm...they kept asking me if I was in a relationship. I was, but it really shouldn’t have mattered, seeing as they’d already cleared up the ‘Do-you-have-an-STD’ matter, cue scary nurse voice. Meh, decided not to press that point – really excited to be getting contraception. After more than a year of using the injection and then The Pill (cue capital letters for awesomeness) I took the advice of various nurses/doctors and took a short break from hormone contraception. Although STD’s were not an issue, I still did not want immediate children, so I, or rather my partner, used condoms.

This is where the story gets a little scary kids! One time the condom broke. ‘Aha’, I thought, ‘We’ll just pop down to Lloyd’s pharmacy and get the emergency contraception pill’. Well, that and ‘shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!’ With these two thoughts in mind, we headed to Lloyds. Now, I don’t have the ability to read minds, but I’m pretty sure some of you reading of this will have perhaps thought as I once did, that emergency contraception should be easy to get. You know, being all emergency and that. Hmm. Feeling (a lot) braver than I thought, I went straight up to the till, and I asked for what I wanted. The person at the counter freezes at my face (I did look young, but was at University age) and says in a cold voice that they ‘will need to talk to me in private’. Hmm, ominous. But, I think, they are just being professional. In my mind I am telling myself that I know they cannot sell/give the emergency contraception without assuring themselves that I am not pregnant, or underage. The private room I am taken to is not a private room; it is a small walled space with a door. A space stolen from the shop floor. It doesn’t seem very private, and later my partner says they could hear the discussion. Maybe the person at the counter did not approve of contraception, maybe they thought I was someone who had not used any contraception. I will never know. I will, however, always remember the cold and disbelieving look upon their face as they asked me whether I had ever used emergency contraception and my age. It was only when I asked with bright eyes, flushed face and controlled-annoyed voice whether they would need to see my licence ID in proof that they with shame? embarrassment? abruptly ended the interview and gave me what I wanted. I can’t even remember if I paid for it or not, I wanted to leave that shop as fast as I could.

Why did I not complain? Because I was relieved to receive the emergency birth-control. Because it was an uncomfortable encounter."

If you are a Royal Holloway student and want to add your emergency contraception service experience to this post, please email us at rhulfeminism@gmail.com

No names will be added to these submissions.

A Rant on Pubes.

Anon


Last week I was chatting (over wine, obviously) with my Mum and Gran, 53 and 91 respectively, and we did that rare thing of stumbling across the topic of pubic hair. My mum a child of the 70s had always shaved but never ‘down there’. While my Gran told us how she never shaved any of her body hair. By the time she was 24, having been displaced by war, she was the first person she knew in Bombay to wear a bikini. And yet she still didn’t shave. Can you even begin to imagine being on a beach now and not giving a shit about your underarm hair and bikini line?! 

I sat awkwardly at the table as both the only self-defining feminist but also the only one who shaved all their pubic body hair. It made me feel uncomfortable to realise that as much as I preach about a woman’s right to control her own body, with many justifications of ‘feeling more hygienic’, when questioned I simply had no answer to why I do it and always have. It stirred emotions of frustration – why do I spend so much money and time doing something I feel essentially indifferent towards? If these women before me didn’t feel the need to do it why the hell do I? With so many women apparently shaving it all off, or worse styling it, subjecting their most sensitive, pleasure-receptive parts to extreme waxes I can’t help but wonder what has changed so fundamentally in these three generations. If Lady Caroline Lamb was able to send Lord Byron a romantic lock of her pubic hair in 1812 why do so many of us feel the need to get rid of our muffs now?

Of course not all women shave and I seriously admire those who don’t. I’m so sick of paying 20 quid for 6 bloody razors! And the time it takes, to shave and prune is beyond ridiculous, surely I have better things to be doing? 

Often we claim it’s the way we feel most comfortable but is that because it’s also the way that’s most socially acceptable? Thinking back to when I first started shaving, it was first my under arms and legs. My downstairs bits weren’t an issue until the age I became sexually active, or just before, as a ‘just in case it happens’ kind of thing. I never did it BEFORE but I changed my body to what I assumed guys preferred. I didn’t debate with myself, or wonder which I would favour; I just assumed that was the right way of dealing with body hair. And when I’m not getting any I’m significantly less bothered about doing it. It’s not about what guys want but what we think they want, and what society says women should be like. Averts, celebrities, films all inform our ideals. I can’t think of any Hollywood instances of ‘excessive’ female body hair other than hysteric women types. And yet when you actually ask sexual partners their opinion they never seem to mind. 

Shaving and all its variations have been a long standing feature of societies, dating as far back as Ancient Greece, but its gendered nature and aesthetic function is relatively new, a consequence of rising hem lines and daring bikinis. If you weren’t allowed to flash your ankle what was the point? Alternatively male shaving tends to be considered as slightly homoerotic, a question on your manhood. Only this week the Sunday Times contained an article on advertising and beards, ‘How to get ahead in advertising. It’s no longer Armani suits and hair gel: these days, cool creative types are going for bushy.’ While men seemed to be defined by the hair they gain through puberty, with a direct correlation between hair and masculinity, women are constantly told to remove it and make themselves creepily pre-pubescent. Women are made to be ashamed of the gains of womanhood. There is now a commercial industry deriving profit from women feeling shit about themselves. Capitalism has undoubtly escalated women, and increasingly men’s, hate of their own bodies. I wonder if the pressures are the same in non-hetronormative relationships.

There is a disturbing trend of women increasingly believing their natural vulva isn’t good enough. With labiaplasties and vajazzling, hair removal is the tamest of worries. I’m sorry my vulva isn’t ‘perfect’. I’m sorry it doesn’t naturally sparkle for you.

So a total miss-mash of thoughts, which poses more questions than it answers. But that’s what’s important about feminism right? Constantly questioning the pressures, subjections and expectations of a patriarchal society. Will I change my shaving habits? I doubt it. But will I continue to question why I do it? Absolutely.

A feminist reports! - On Porn

By Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton

So, as gender equality rep for RHUL, I tend to get to as many feminist activities as is physically possible. Unfortunately, as I go along and learn new and wonderful things, I forget to report back to all the curious feminists back on campus (I cannot possibly be the only one?!) Last week, I went to an open discussion at SOAS University called “Porn: A tool for liberation or oppression?” with guest speakers from Feminist Fightback, Feminists Against Censorship and the former LGBT SOAS Officer. I also went to the protest outside parliament against Dorries’ abstention bill, and finally a discussion on “Muffs, Magazines and the Media” by Women’s Fightback. I could break it down by event, but I’m going to juggle this and split it into three topics: firstly Porn and the Media, then Porn and Oppression, and finally Porn and Sex Education.

A few disclaimers: when I refer to feminists, I do not mean all feminists. Just like any belief, there is no binary. Secondly, the talks I went to were generally pro-porn and against oppression of class. Thirdly, my opinion on porn is still undecided. Fourth, this information is from my notes that I made during all of
the events, which tried to be as accurate as possible. They do not necessarily reflect my own opinions.

Porn and the Media

So, we all know that men disproportionately run media and porn, and that both are multi-billion dollar industries. Porn is, in fact, the third biggest industry in the world; but as the Feminist Fightback speaker pointed out “there are very few multi-billion dollar industries that I’m pro.” Fair point. What’s interesting is that porn is run by men, for men. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) actually checks porn, and one classification requires asking a Doctor if “the human body is physically capable of doing this?”. A little scandal, actually, as one film had a woman ejaculating, and the Doctor deemed it physically impossible. So BBFC approved films will have no liquids coming out of the woman (for want of a better word). This ties in with the SOPA and PIPA censorship bills that were being put
to America earlier this week. The speakers at the porn talk were against any form of censorship, as it would deny any of our autonomous desires whilst simultaneously encouraging guilt or marginalising those who like different things. They were worried, because the need to protect our freedom is very real.
The current internet is fantastic because it also allows expression of the sexual fantasies of other genders and sexualities that may not be mainstream. Thanks to the internet, it is very easy for anyone to make their own porn and to share it with the world. One example is Dirty Diaries, made by feminists for women (but if you’re sitting there thinking that all feminists are lesbians, I’d just like to clarify that lesbian and feminist porn are not always the same thing. They can be, but not exclusively). The accessibility and freedom of the media allows the construction of porn by women for women, or by women for men, or any other combination of the multitude of genders and sexualities out there. It allows
freedom of speech, of sexual preference, and curiosity.

To reclaim erotic entertainment through the main media channels can be challenging. A speaker had launched a porn magazine by women, for women in the 1980s, but the overwhelmingly male shop keepers refused to stock it, as they decided it would not appeal to their wives, and consequently, not to their female customers either. The magazine didn’t last long, and I’m not sure how different this tale would be today.

Porn and Oppression

The main difficulty we have with porn is that it is by men, for men, and it makes a hell of a lot of money. There is a growing trend of Ethical Porn, which focuses on the workers rights. I’ve heard from someone who knows someone in the porn industry, that they get frequent STI check ups among other assessments
of their rights and what they feel comfortable with. So, in regards to workers rights, it’s not all doom and gloom.
We’re going to move swiftly onto the controversial yet important subject of female pubic hair (or lack thereof!) in porn films. Some people claim that the pressure to have a bare lady garden originates from porn, when in fact it stems from fashion. Models could be photographed up to where their pubic hairline
began, and as bikinis and underwear became smaller, the pubic hairline receded. What can make people feel uncomfortable is that the lack of hair is pre-pubescent and therefore childlike, inadvertently encouraging paedophilia. This is a big statement to make, but the pressures for this style of pubic hair are very real. The speakers agreed that this paedophilic connotation was ridiculous, and is invented
to make those who prefer no hair, feel guilty. They were against any denial of autonomy, as everyone has the right to like what they like.
Now, we’ll move along to the idea that the competition for the ideal body comes from capitalism. The idea that we can be better, stronger than what we already are by making money for ourselves and spending it on ourselves. The very idea of body image comes from competition, and comparing ourselves to a third party.
The ideal body however changes across the decades; for your average Victorian female, a small waist was desired due to the popularity of whalebone corsets. Moving on to the 1940s, and the ideal female body is very flat with simple short dresses, which reflect the rationing of food and material at the time. Compare this again, to the 1950s female hourglass shape with full skirts and excess fabric, due to the end of the war and the increase in income. The reality is, in your current average magazine targeted at women, you will hardly ever find a curvier woman than a size 8-10 (the average UK woman is a size 12-14), nor will you find the very athletic woman. It hardly needs mentioning because we all know it, but they are all as beautiful as each other, and yet are not equally presented in the media.
Interestingly, one of the women from the Women’s Fightback is a photographer in the fashion industry, particularly for ethical clothing. She had an internal debate with the designer over the size of the models they were using: most of the customers are the average size 12-14, and yet they use size 8-10 models. If they were to sell ethical clothing on a size 12 model, they would be making too much of a statement, and the magazines wouldn’t publish their adverts. The sad reality. Women’s Fightback concluded that it is important to know your enemy, and to know why you are unhappy with your body (if this is the case).

Sex Education and Porn

Nadine Dorries had a bill for a compulsory sex education for young females, compromising of abstinence. She wanted to make it cool to say no. There is nothing wrong with abstinence and for some it’s a valid option, but it really should be an informed choice! If this bill had passed, it would have been the only compulsory sex education, so the information about STIs and contraception and enjoyment would not be covered. Also, her bill was sexist, blaming it only on the female’s incapacity to say no. The protest outside parliament wanted an informed, unbiased sex education for all genders, so that individuals can make up their own mind. Thankfully, an hour into our protest, she retracted her bill. Hurrah!

Now, sex education in the UK as it stands is pretty appalling. In fact, for the gay speaker at “Porn: A tool for liberation or oppression?” porn was their sex education. I don’t know about you, but my sex education was only about sex between a man and a woman, and nothing else (and I went to school in Brighton!). In fact, one thing that porn does teach us that sex education in the UK fails to, is the possibility of enjoying sex, and the pleasure that can arise from it. One example, is that where as in sex education pretty much ignores the clitoris, in porn it is praised and shown how to, well, use it.

The internet has allowed a such a vast stream of information, that many previous generations hadn’t had access to until a certain age. This quite plainly leads on to the dilemma of young children watching porn, and that being their only form of sex education. The speakers here concluded that nobody who
watches porn sees it without criticism, no matter their age or experience. This criticism means that it is not always replicated when doing a significant thing with a significant other. Something else to consider is that people choose the kind of porn that they watch; even when stumbling upon something new and
unexpected of an uncomfortable nature (for that individual), it can easily be avoided.

The conversation then flew to the distinction of fantasy and reality, and whether the inexperienced young would be able to tell the difference. Whilst some argued that porn is only as fictional as Harry Potter and Doctor Who, and young children are already exposed to a lot of sex and long kisses in films on T.V.,
others argued otherwise. The latter argued that porn can be a very negative first experience, and that there is an “appropriate” age for autonomy. This, however, is better judged by the parents and schools than the government, which ties back in to the censorship scare in the US.

Finally, the fear of porn was mentioned. The fear of the extreme fetishes, such as BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism), and the influence this can have on young viewers. Here, the idea of choice in porn arose again, but also the fact that we are all a little afraid of porn. What’s important to remember in BDSM porn films, is that they show the consent process in the film, and they have very strict workers rights. This means that even if people were into BDSM and wanted to replicate it themselves, they are fully aware of the implications of consent. This can only be a good thing, really, if it’s something you’re interested in.

So, I leave you with this muddle of facts and opinions I discovered in one week, and they were just from the pro-porn opinion. But, put the date in your diary: Monday 20th February, 2012, 7pm to 10pm: in Rialto at SURHUL we’re hosting a “Let’s Talk About Porn” session to explore the ethics and pleasure principal further. I’m still to make up my mind, are you?

Menstruation (yes, really)

By Flick Myerscough

A few weeks ago I went shopping. Later that day, I looked at a photo which someone had tweeted. This is a mundane and not unusual set of events to take place in my experiences on one day, considering the day-to-day lives of the people I know.

At the end of last term I was stressed. I was stressed to the extent that I became physically ill. For a significant proportion of the population, the symptoms of stress can include their periods stopping. This proportion of the population includes me and I experienced this symptom. It’s quite a stressful symptom as its one that raises a rather “what-the-hell-is-going-on-exclamation-marks” feeling, which isn’t very helpful when one is already stressed.  But I didn’t feel able to share this what-the-hell-is-going-on-exclamation-marks with people. It would be “too much information” or “icky” or somesuch.

On this day that I went shopping, it was raining, and one-of-my-favourite-people had offered to give me a lift to the shops in his car. One-of-my-favourite-people was also giving another friend a lift somewhere else. Whilst said other friend was in the car, I was asked what I wanted to buy. I was going to buy tampons. I felt like I “shouldn’t” really announce this in front of the car, so uttered something vague and noncommittal. To be honest, it probably sounded a bit silly.

One isn’t “meant” to talk about menstruation in polite society, despite it being something experienced first-hand by a significant proportion of said society. The exception to this would be jokes about people behaving in a “pre-menstrual” way. These are generally self-fulfilling, as people are understandably miffed at others being patronising and sexist at them.

Further, a member of the proportion of the population which menstruates is supposed to hide any evidence that it takes place. One can [read should] buy small bags to store sanitary items in, or store them in a discreet pocket of a larger bag. [As an aside, I’ve always found the similarity between the words “sanitary” and “sanity” amusing.] To have someone find these items in your bag is meant to be a bit awkward, as is for them to fall out, or for it to be obvious one is about to use them…

Let alone having to ask someone else if they have any you can use. That would mean both of you coming out. Heaven forfend.

Maybe this is one of the reasons people are so freaked by the idea of using a mooncup. By using mainstream sanitary items, we can throw out the evidence of menstruation with the rest of the rubbish we dump and ignore. The reusable nature of a mooncup removes this opportunity to enact our ignorance of menstruation itself.

The picture I found on twitter later that day (the day when I bought tampons) has disappeared – it was a bit old at the time. Anyway, it was a bag especially designed for storing sanitary items, with a picture of a little stick girl on the front, in such a way as if to say “Look! Here are my period things”. The tweet was remarking on how announcing this to the world seemed a bit weird. Thinking about it, for me it both is and isn’t but not for the “that’s too much information/private”. A bag for storing these items can be marketed to a significant proportion of the population – it’s commercially viable. So, really, it’s hardly surprising it exists (in consumerist societies). But it is, thinking about it, a bit of a weird idea – why not use any other small bag, or a pocket which doesn’t get buffeted so the wrappers don;t break. OR the producing companies could make products with wrappers that don;t break so easily just from being moved about in a bag?! That would make for less side products though. What is weird is the commercialisation of bodily functions which people can’t help which this bag epitomises. The announcing cartoon on this particular example could even be said to give it a certain self-aware irony, as it transforms a product one of the points of which is to hide things into an announcement. It reminds us that our silence on menstruation is to the benefits of some groups commercially.

Why did I bother to analyse the bag to such an extent? I suppose I was rather aware of the issues at stake at the time. The other passenger having left the car, we repeated the what-is-each-person-buying thing. I said I was going to buy tampons. As I muddledly both apologised and said that I really didn’t think I should be apologising if I made one-of-my-favourite-people feel awkward one-of-my-favourite-people responded with a delightfully refreshing point: from a misogynist perspective, buying tampons is one of the manliest things a man can do. The traditional misogynist man is, after all, the monetary provider for his woman. And keeping a woman like a pet requires looking after her bodily functions. (I would also add that buying tampons could also be a way of boasting sexual intimacy with someone, but think that’s a more common observation.) (Also, If misogyny provides an environment where people are more open about bodies than an apparently more liberated sexual environment…. well, THAT is bit a weird.)

I don’t want to suggest that we should all announce our menstrual cycles to eachother or anything like that. That would be pointless and a waste of time (generally, I realise people wanted to conceive might need to consider these things with some people). It’s not something which should really matter to people. But not mattering, for me, surely should make it something which isn’t to be embarrassed and awkward about. Menstruation is going to happen even if we pretend it doesn’t. And we know that really. People need to accept that some people have periods rather than feign ignorance of it.

Why I believe in abstinence... from Nadine Dorries

By Megan Down

On January 20^th, Nadine Dorries' Sex Education (Required Content) Bill will receive it's second reading in the House of Commons. Unbelievably, this bill which requires abstinence only sex education to be provided – only to girls – passed it's first reading by 67 to 61. 61 MPs bought Dorries' claims that teaching girls and young women abstinence will empower them to say no and not only reduce teenage pregnancies and STI rates, but also reduce rates of sexual abuse. Because, as everyone knows, child abuse and sexual violence wouldn't happen if only all those victims had known how to say no. I cannot describe the rage that bubbles up when I hear an MP – and a female MP at that – suggest that if only I'd been taught how to say no, I would have been safe. Presumably, this magical education would have included how to say no with a hand over my mouth. Right, Nadine?

This bill is utter nonsense on so many levels. The ridiculous views of women held by Dorries and her collaborators are woven throughout everything she's said on the matter. The idea that victims of childhood sexual abuse might have saved themselves by saying no leaves a bitter taste of a “she was asking for it” attitude. The concept of making abstinence-only sex education compulsory only for females makes it very clear with whom she places the responsibility for Britain's high teenage pregnancy and STI rates – with those girls who just can't say no. Incidentally, she apparently also claimed that it would be a disgrace for Labour MP Chris Bryant to speak on the subject of her Bill because he is a gay man so can't have an opinion on teenage sex education, which says volumes about her heteronormative bias. It's not like there are any major public health issues for which comprehensive sex education for young gay men is vital, is it? Oh, wait...

Aside from the stupidly sexist nature of the Bill, it is also completely without evidential support. The sex education that we provide for young people is likely to have a massive impact on their first experiences of sex and relationships which may stay with them for the rest of their lives, and we have a duty to make decisions on the best possible evidence available. That evidence tells us that – shock horror – telling young people about safe sex doesn't increase their sexual activity, and often delays the initiation of sexual intercourse and reduces the number of sexual partners young people have. Abstinence only education, meanwhile, has far less success in delaying first time sex, reducing the number or frequency of sex, or increasing condom use.

The potential implementation of this Bill takes an even more sinister turn when looked at in the context of massive cuts to the youth and health services that teenagers turn to for advice and education about sex. The way we are going, our young women will soon be facing an out of touch, sex-shaming just say no approach in their classrooms, and turn to other services for advice only to find that their local NHS sexual health service has closed, their local teenage pregnancy co-ordinator has been made redundant, and even if there is a youth centre open in their area, it can't afford a trained youth worker to give sexual health advice. If the government genuinely cared about the sexual and emotional wellbeing of young people, they would be ring fencing funding for these absolutely essential services. If Nadine Dorries genuinely wants to improve sex education, she could do a lot worse than campaigning against the cuts being imposed by her own party.

Of course, we should be teaching our children and teenagers that they never have to do anything they don't want to do or don't feel ready for, and that they have every right to say no to any sexual experience that they aren't comfortable with. Teaching abstinence is not, however, the way to do that. Young people don't need to be taught how to say no, they need to be empowered to do so, and providing them with all of the information they need – and yes, that includes how to put on a condom – is the way to do that. By giving young people all of the facts, we put them in the best possible position to make the right decision for them about sex. And by the way, if, with all that information to hand, they decide that having safe, consensual sex is the right thing for them – that's awesome. Sex is not the enemy, and teaching young people that it is does no favours for our society.

(If you think this is as wrong as I do, you can show your opposition by attending the Just Say No to Dorries protest happening outside parliament on the day of the reading, or email your MP to tell them why you think they should oppose the Bill using this handy form from the British Humanist Society).