Intro to Feminism

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?
She was sexually assaulted multiple times in one week and after asking her friends and coworkers she realised many people take being the subject of sexism to haven been resolved and believe some sexual assaults as a norm therefore she wanted to change that.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?
Everyday Sexism project shows how sexism still happens to this day and people still suffer even though most of the world believes sexism to not exist anymore when it still does.

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?
New technology means more people hear about the project and find it easier to share their stories. Also new technology gives the project a cheaper way to gain awareness

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?
I believe there is long time till sexism will be defeated. Even though the general world likes to believe that world is more idyllic and there is a gender equality exist everywhere - which is true as in the world has improved compared to the past- many people suffer sexism and have reached a point where they don't raise awareness about it because they believe it to be normal when it isn't.

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here.

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. Feminists in 2015 still deal
every day with misconceptions and prejudice: the idea that rape or coercive sex may be justified if a woman
is wearing provocative clothing, the huge gender pay gap despite equality legislation, the ubiquitous
representations of women as weak and disempowered, to name but a few.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 
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. Thousands of campaigns, blogs and hashtags have been used to spur on the feminist upheaval. Ideologies and communities that were thought to have
been extinct have been watered back to life through the roots of the internet.

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.
Everyday Sexism
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. 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.

HeForShe is led by multi award winning actress, Emma Watson. Although sexism occurs mainly with females, men can also be exposed to sexism, we just don't see it often. She advocates for change and to unite both sexes instead of separate them. She aims to have a 'non-man hating' type of feminism and thinks it will be successful. This however, has been criticised due to making the idea of feminsim as too reliant on men and misses out the 'strong woman' message that feminism tries to push out. This relies on the old stereotype that women rely on men in order to get everything done.

The FCKH8 campaign is one of the most successful and popular digital campaigns for feminism. They utilise their YouTube channel to use women as a vehicle through which they can both share their experiences as well as promote a fairer, more equal society. Their 'Potty Mouth Princess' video is particularly strong as it gets little girls to swear - which catches the viewer off guard but could put a negative message about how they can influence young girls in particular. They also sell merchandise which has been seen as greedy as they are taking advantage of feminism for their own financial gain.

This Girl Can is a fitness campaign. This came around because some women were too ashamed to post pictures of themselves due to their figure. This is the first fitness campaign that allows women to share their photos where they don't get excluded or insulted about their body. This empowers women to feel confident about themselves as they can get lots of mean and sometimes sexual comments if they do post something online. This has gotten backlash however, as the website isn't regulated user-by-user so without commenting, some sexual things could take place. 

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?
I believe the large concept from third way feminism to both way feminism is the is hugely based on how the internet helps feminist communicate. The internet allows people from all over the world express the their suffer with sexism and also allow to be anonymous. Therefore this far different from the 1990s when such things weren't accessible.

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