Yesterday the UK House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to pass the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, which would give gay and lesbian couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals. Since 2004, British same-sex couples have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships, giving them the same property, tax and welfare benefits as heterosexual married couples. However, same-sex partnerships were not [...]
Feminists and pro-choice politicians are calling for an urgent revamp of Irish abortion law after the death of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist who died in the Republic of Ireland after doctors refused to terminate her pregnancy. Halappanavar went to University Hospital Galway on October 21 and was found to be miscarrying, but doctors refused [...]
Last month, I wrote for Ms. about the increased number of anti-choice politicians in the British government. Now, concerns that newly appointed ministers Maria Miller and Jeremy Hunt would continue their anti-abortion track records are swiftly becoming a reality. This month, both ministers advocated in the U.K. media for a reduction of the time frame [...]
Following a string of anti-choice efforts which began when the British coalition government came to power in 2010, its recent cabinet reshuffle has resulted in even more anti-abortion ministers at the top. Maria Miller, promoted to both culture secretary and minister in charge of women and equalities, has a track record on abortion rights and [...]
Treating women like dirt is hardly a new tactic for the fashion industry, with its long history of objectifying the female body, idealizing physically impossible beauty types and glamorizing violence against women. Bulgaria-based 12 magazine, however, has hit a new low with an inexplicable photo spread in its latest issue titled, “Victim of Beauty” [TRIGGER [...]
The notion that the fashion industry treats women as objects is not a new one, but it’s certainly a preconception that few clothing manufacturers ever bother to challenge. Clothing brand Stüssy, however, has decided to take objectification one step further–by turning one of its models into a stripper. Sending out a clear message that the [...]
The California Commission on the Status of Women has been keeping its eye on the ball for California women for 47 years: researching, advising on legislation and advocating for gender equality. Perhaps that’s why California was ranked the 5th “Best State for Women” in iVillage‘s recent survey. So why has Governor Jerry Brown proposed to [...]
Going online can be a fraught experience for any feminist–you never know when you’re going to stumble across sexist trolls or more depressing news from the war on women. So we would be shirking our duty as a feminist media outlet if we didn’t share some sites we’ve come across recently that make us smile. [...]
Fifty-eight percent of Facebook users are women. Sixty-two percent of shares on Facebook are done by female users. How many women are on Facebook’s board of directors? Zero. For such an innovative brand, Facebook is distinctly behind the times when it comes to gender equity. Only 11.3 percent of Fortune 500 companies had male-only boards [...]
No Comment: Lush Protests Torture of Animals with Simulated Torture of Woman
We’ve long ceased to be surprised by PETA’s tendency to fetishize violence against women and objectify us in their ad campaigns. But now Lush, the British cosmetics chain we thought was ethical and progressive, has decided to follow suit. The company is circulating a video of a publicity stunt–oops, we mean, “performance art”–filmed at its flagship U.K. [...]