In defence of Valentine's Day

By Ross Parry

It’s the 13^th of February and that means the floodgates of soppy gifts and declarations of love are about to blow open for that annual mush-fest: Valentine’s Day.

Now I can’t say I’m a particular lover of the day of romance but I’m not a hater either. I just see it as a nice excuse for people to consider how wonderful our bonds with other people (or Game of Thrones box sets) can be. However, there are a seemingly endless group of people who take such a dislike to Valentine’s Day that they just can’t keep it from the world.

Why Valentines Day is One of the Worst Days of the Year

By Megan O'Kane

I’m going to start this article by stating that I hate Valentines Day, and it’s not because I’m single. In fact, I can honestly say that I would much rather be single on Valentine’s Day than buy into the consumerist crap-fest that is February 14^th. Here are just 7 of my many reasons why:

Newspapers need more boobs, not less

Over recent years, the No More Page 3 campaign has gone from strength to strength, gaining support from everyone from women’s groups to MPs. They petition the Sun’s editors to remove the “bare boobs” from the newspaper, arguing that the presence of a naked glamour model on page 3 demeans and objectifies women. What’s more, they are winning. Public opinion is shifting and one title, the Irish edition of the Sun, has even relented, putting clothes on its previously naked models.

Single at Christmas

 By Jo Paterson

So it’s Christmas; schools have broken up for the holidays, town centres are crammed full with shoppers and festooned with lights, Christmas songs dominate radio playlists and you can’t watch anything on tv without being reminded of what the season is supposed to be about (ie. food, presents, family, love and celebrating the perfectness of life)... This isn’t a scroogey Christmas blog where I’m about to say how much I hate all these things because actually, I love them. I love Christmas. 

But what gets me is that according to the world, I’m supposed to be coupled up, receiving something expensive from my gorgeous loving boyfriend, spending Saturdays hand in hand with him in town and cold winter nights cuddling up with him on the sofa. What is it about Christmas that fills us with dread at the prospect of being alone? Christmas is all about being together, the media tell us, and I know that that is about family and friends and community. But we’re also pummelled with the idea that our Christmas isn’t perfect without an adoring other half to complete us. 

Sex Sells...But It Doesn't Have To.

By Megan O'Kane 

This year there has been a media frenzy surrounding sexism in the music industry. There was the “Blurred Lines” fiasco - where Robin Thicke’s summer smash hit was branded “sexist,” “misogynistic” and subsequently banned in nightclubs and universities across the country. The song then went on to hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, selling more than 6 million tracks. Then there was Miley-Gate, and we all know what happened there! Miss Cyrus’ latest album “Bangerz” has sold an impressive 270,000 units in its first week.

I dream of self-esteem

By Nicki Fudge

Shall we be honest with ourselves for a second? We have ALL struggled from low self esteem about the way that we look. Some of us hide it behind layers of makeup, extensive wardrobes and multiple hair products. Others take the opposite route, and develop a spiky attitude that screams ‘I REALLY don’t care what you think of my appearance’, whilst hiding their body and their face behind baggy clothes and deliberate lack of effort.

So here are three ways in which I tackled my own total hatred of my physical appearance which, although it hasn't completely gone away (I still get a few days every month where I can’t stand how I look),  has now changed from something that regularly used to dominate my thoughts, to feeling laughably irrelevant to my general life.

Make love not war.

By Hannah O'Donnell

It is difficult to judge equality in a relationship from a singleton’s point view. As a singleton it is all for one and one for me and I don’t have to consult anyone else on my behaviour or my choices. I have found, however, that this isn’t the case in a relationship.

It is not for lack of freedom, but for the sake of compromise you understand.

I’m dressing as a sexy devil for Halloween and the patriarchy has nothing to do with it

By Elly Murrell

George Berry has already done a fantastic response to Flo’sarticle which you should read here. The kind with metaphors I can only dream to conjure up. With the male side of the argument covered I’d like to throw in my two cents.

Why girls shouldn't dress in sexy costumes for Halloween: an exercise in positive discrimination.

By George Berry

So you’ve read Flo’s article about the trend of women dressing revealingly for Halloween, and why doing so is putting back their gender a century, and if you haven’t then stop reading here and follow this link to do so here.

I feel like the word “patriarchy” is used to basically whitewash a subject with a buzzword. It’s true that men expect certain things of women that we probably shouldn’t, such as being in good shape with an obvious care to your hygiene and physical appearance, but isn’t that exactly what you’d expect in a man (or mate of the same gender)? A lot of issues can be put both ways, the status quo not only perpetuates the trend of racy costumes but also puts pressure on men in similar ways.

Happy Halloween

By Florence Celia May

From Flo's World

So I've spoken about fancy dress on here before, but it's Halloween time again, and I just want to get all this angst I have off my chest.

Why barbie is a feminist

By Megan O'Kane

In May 2013, Europe’s first life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse opened its doors in Berlin. The opening of this pink paradise was overshadowed in the media by a feminist protest, involving a topless woman and a burning cross.

Michael Koschitzki, a member of the Occupy Barbie Dreamhouse protest group argues that "… this so-called Dreamhouse symbolizes the beauty craze and the discrimination of women in modern-day life. It presents a cliché of the female role in society." I very much disagree with this viewpoint. I believe that Barbie and her empire, which has grown steadily over 50 years, are an example of feminism at its best.

Why catcalling is not a compliment

By Joy McManus

Catcalling is defined by Urban Dictionary, a relevant source in this case, as:

‘When a guy gives the wert whirl whistle or yells at a babydoll for the purpose of getting attention and in hopes of a future hook up… 99.9% [of the time] a hookup never arises and it’s just the thrill that keeps these going’

Sometimes if a girl gets catcalled and then communicates that she didn’t appreciate it the response can often be ‘take it as a compliment’, which I don’t understand. How is it meant to be a compliment if a passing stranger thinks they have the right to comment on your body or how much they’d like to have sex with you? The fact that we need to justify why catcalling is wrong saddens me- surely not being shouted at and harassed as we go about our daily lives should be a human right.

Miley vs Sinead: a Dutiful perspective

A row between two major pop egos has got two of our writers talking:

Mean girls: the culture of bitching

By Nicki Fudge

“Nobody ever talks about the mean things that girls do to each other”

Bitchiness is endemic but, as this quote (from the author of the book that the film ‘Mean Girls’ is based upon) states, it is rarely spoken about. ‘Mean Girls’ is a hilarious film, and one of its main attractions for me is its highly accurate depiction of the way some women behave towards each other: the culture of bitching.

If feminism is broken, don't blame feminists

By Madeleine Whybrow

In a recent article for this blog, Ross Parry offered his views on the flaws of feminism. He argued that things such as the disproportionate amount of attention given to radical feminists and that even the outdated and divisive connotations of the word ‘feminism’ are holding the movement back. On both these points, I cannot agree more.

However, I have to take issue with one of his arguments, the suggestion that feminism is failing to educate enough people, especially men, and that feminists should be less “emotional and ignorant” when people question their views. In an ideal world, feminists would, of course, spend their time engaging in calm, constructive discussions and educating people about sexism and ways to fight it. However, our world is flawed, and any issues with feminism simply reflect that. 

Stop being so sentimental – feminism needs a reboot

By Ross Parry

I’m sure that, if you’re reading this blog, you have come into contact many times with the argument that feminism is a female-superiority movement. I am equally confident that at least half of you lovely readers know that this is rubbish.

Feminism is a movement which believes that gender inequality is an issue in much of the world and that this takes the form of women having fewer rights than men (in most instances, anyway). So where does the image of feminism as a tribal, man-hating world domination group come from?

Is the internet good for feminism?

More and more women are engaging with feminism because of the internet; some even believe that we are witnessing the movement’s fourth wave. The online community provides us platforms from which to voice our opinions and safe places to host our discussions. However, it has also brought us LadBible, Twitter trolls and objectification far worse than the content of lad’s mags. The same things helping feminism to flourish are being used to equal effect by those intent on destroying it. So, do the benefits outweigh the negatives? Or is the internet harming the fight for women’s rights? Three of our writers air their views.

Warning: Article contains some explicit content.

The Glasses Ceiling

By Bethan Gormley

There is a distinct lack of famous women in the music industry who openly and actively wear glasses, which is an issue that I have been noticing for a few years now. The music industry is one of the few sectors in which female presence almost equals its male counterpart; the glass-ceiling has been smashed, it would seem. But the glasses-ceiling? Not so smashed.

A Close Shave

Hazel discussing the issue of body hair. We’d love comments and discussion on this!

Hazel : 

http:/www.twitter.com/Hazeltron

http://www.youtube.com/Hazeltron

The Dutiful: http://www.twitter.com/TheDutiful 

Single Pringle

By Nicki Fudge

This year I began to do the one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I stopped actively looking for a relationship, and started to turn down anyone who asked. I deliberately chose to be single.