This World Leader Has The Perfect Response For Why Feminism Matters

Freshly minted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had strong words for detractors of feminism at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week. In a session on gender equality — which also featured major business leaders including Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer — Trudeau laid it out. “We shouldn’t be afraid of the word ‘feminist.’ Men and women should use it to describe themselves anytime they want.”

Trudeau also emphasized the importance of educating young boys about the importance of gender equality, speaking of his own sons as an example. 

“That role we have, as men, in supporting and demanding equality, and demanding a shift, is really, really important,” Trudeau added.


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How To Respond To 9 Common Anti-Feminist Comments

How To Respond To 9 Common Anti-Feminist Comments

JR THORPE

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Recently, I ran into an Asshole At A Dinner Party (TM) who had, amongst other things, opinions about feminism and misogyny. Namely, he didn't think that misogyny was a real problem in the Western world because "he'd never seen evidence of it himself". Bear in mind that this dude didn't actually seem to mean to be an asshole. He was just being deliberately ignorant — and white, and straight, and well-educated, and basically in a position to educate himself as much as he chose about any given issue.

I am a strong proponent of getting into arguments with these people, and giving them rational, reasoned evidence and good arguments as to why their perspective needs to change. Statistics can only do so much; studies have shown that anecdotal evidence is just as, if not more, powerful in influencing peoples' opinions as rational evidence. So, if I'd met that dude over again, I'd have thrown in my own experiences and those of my friends: discovering they made less than the man who did their same job, being sexually assaulted and then mistreated by the police, being constantly pressured to have babies, being felt up or poked on public transport and harassed by strangers, experiencing surprised customers who couldn't believe they were a "girl" and so good at their job. All those stories are true. And I wish I'd marshalled them in time.

So next time you meet an Asshole At A Dinner Party with opinions on feminism, here's a good way to school them. With a healthy dose of input from your own experiences and those of your friends, of course.

1. "I've Never Seen Misogyny, So I Don't Think It's A Problem"

How nice for you, sunshine! It must be lovely to live in a bubble. Let me tell you some things that may transform your idea that it's not a real problem in the Western world (which I imagine is what you mean). In 2014, women in full-time employment in America were paid, on average, 79 percent of the income paid to men. That's despite huge rises in women's education. And it seems, according to reporting in November 2015, that it will take over 100 years for women to be paid the same amount for the same work. This reflectssexism in hiring practices, inequality in maternity and paternity leave, glass ceilings, hostile work environments, women's cultural expectation not to fight for pay rises, occupational segregation, and women's work being undervalued, among other things.

Or, let's take women being threatened with death for talking about gender inequality in video gaming. Or the fact that one in every six American womenwill be the subject of a rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Or that, in 2014, 26,027 people filed official complaints about sexual discrimination in the American workplace, and that women file 82.5 percent of all sexual harassment complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. But do tell me more about how misogyny and gender discrimination don't actually exist.

2. "Feminists Should Be Equalists"

I've discussed this in detail for Bustle before, so really I should just give you a hand-out of my article and tell you to come back when you've read it. But here's a summary: feminism is based on altering the historical, endemic discrimination against women across all quarters of society, from economic to medical to educational to sexual. It believes men and women should be equal and have equal rights, and that fighting against sexist attitudes and restrictions is necessary to make this happen. We are believers in equality, but we're also realists about the world, and how far behind women have been and continue to be.

And no, we shouldn't be humanists either. Humanism is an entirely different philosophical position that focused on rational, scientific thought. Don't mix up your words.

3. "Men Have Rights And Problems Too"

Of course they do! Patriarchy has bad effects on men all around the world. It keeps them from expressing their emotions, traps them in gender roles they may not want, and causes damage all over the place. Feminism isn't about minimizing men's problems or saying they have everything the way they want it. It's possible to focus on the difficulties (which are many and long-standing) of one gender without pretending that the other one is hunky-dory all the time. Feminism benefits men.

4. "There Are Just Natural Differences Between Men And Women"

Indeed there are. But difference does not mean incapability, which is the big issue here.

Women score consistently higher than men on IQ tests, and in highly educated countries like Sweden and Norway, the gender gap in aptitude in maths and science in teenagers is essentially zero, despite our long-perceived belief that girls suck at math. A lot of the so-called "natural differences," as the gender gap in maths and science proves, are down to societal beliefs. Women are discouraged from going into STEM fields, for example, because of gender stereotypes that it's "for boys".

5. "There Are Much Bigger Issues In The World Today Than Women's Rights"

OK, then. Tell me another measure by which we could boost the world economy by $28 trillion every year. That's the approximate cost of gender inequality worldwide; if women were given equal education and opportunity, equal pay and full participation in the workforce, they'd boost global wealth by a phenomenal amount.

Also, it's entirely possible to be a feminist and also advocate for refugee rights, an end to racism, equality for the disabled, nuclear disarmament, and whatever else. But feminism highlights a serious and very important issue, and insofar as ranking causes go (whatever good that will do), I think it lodges itself pretty high.

6. "You Must Hate All Men"

Yes, all feminists want to lock men in basements and make them do their bidding. That's why the straight and bisexuals amongst us marry men, date men, have children with men, and regularly spend a lot of our time with dudes. Feminists are perfectly capable of liking men (particularly men who love gender equality! Go those dudes!) and also condemning the world's gender oppression and silly gender stereotypes. We want to be equal, not to have nobody to talk to at brunch.

7. "Feminists Want Women To Have More Power Than Men"

Incorrect. The playing field is not level, even if your limited experience dictates that it is; see all the previous examples given about wage inequality, for example. Feminists genuinely do just want women to be given the same opportunities and rewards as men. It seems relatively simple, but you'd be really surprised how many people fight against it or see it as threatening their vested interests. We're not trying to cheat anybody out of anything, we promise!

READ THE REST OF THE LIST HERE

Wonder Woman: First footage of Gal Gadot teases origin story of feminist icon

"Wonder Woman is one of the greatest superheroes out there. But people don't know her origin like they know Superman's origin and Batman's origin."

DC have opened the floodgates on their cinematic slate. Premiered alongside the highly-anticipated Suicide Squad traileras part of their Dawn of the Justice League special on The CW, the first footage from 2017's Wonder Woman has now been revealed; alongside details on what we can expect from the Amazonian warrior.

King of nerds, Kevin Smith, spoke to DC's Chief Officer Geoff Johns on the special; with Johns revealing the film will essentially consist of a standard origin story. Yet, though Wonder Woman's existed in the cultural milieu for 75 years now, Gal Gadot's iteration is the very first to enter the big screen; so her backstory's simply not well known enough to come off as tired or well trodden as the rest (looking at you, Spider-Man).

"Wonder Woman is one of the greatest superheroes out there," he tells Smith. "But people don't know her origin like they know Superman's origin and Batman's origin; and so what we want to do in the film is really tell people who she is, where she comes from, and why she does what she does. We've never seen her on film before."

"She comes from Greek a mythology. She was born on this island of Amazons called Themyscira. These Amazons were once created to protect man's world, but they've since abandoned it. And Diana's asking constantly, 'why don't we go do what we were created to do and protect man', and they say, 'because they're not worth it'. And this takes her on a journey into our world."

This first look also delved into the appeal of DC's most iconic female hero. "She's an Amazon warrior. She's the best fighter in the DC universe," Johns explains. "She has strength and speed, and she's been training her whole life for war." The film's director, Patty Jenkins, offered her own perspective; "The greatest thing about Wonder Woman is how good, and kind, and loving she is; yet none of that negates any of her power."

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With International Women's Day approaching March 8th, I found this article from last year that stood out.

International Women’s Day: the 10 best feminists

On Sunday 8 March, it’s International Women’s Day. To celebrate, Helen Lewis pays tribute to 10 inspirational feminists

Have we missed someone from the list? Leave your suggestion in the comments below and it could feature in the alternative list next week

Aphra Behn

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 Portrait of Aphra Behn, 1670. Photograph: Oxford University

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Feminism - Column

The Force Awakens... addresses many of the feminist fans' basic concerns, sidestepping unnecessarily revealing costumes and passing the Bechdel Test — that is, the movie features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Women hold plenty of bit parts, portraying villagers fighting for their homes, combat pilots, mechanics, medics and a terrifying storm trooper captain. But the film also contains strong female role models who are both young and old. Gen. Leia is a seasoned leader with just a hint of the spunky, fearless teenager who once jumped into a Death Star garbage chute.

In Rey, I saw a character who would have thrilled and inspired 6-year-old me, but her storyline contains echoes of much more: The bravery of the World War II Army nurses I interviewed a few years ago. The desire for independence I see in my female students. The tenacity of my great-grandmother who, as a very young woman, walked alone across Europe to escape the shattered Austro-Hungarian Empire.  These are important and interesting aspects of the female experience and are too often omitted from pop culture.

Even the Force itself is illuminated primarily through female voices. Leia is the first character to utter the phrase “may the force be with you.” And while Han Solo tells Rey that the Jedi Order is real, it’s the mysterious Maz Kanata who presents her with a lightsaber.

Yes, Rey is overpowered and imprisoned by a villain in a black mask, but her capture is as much a path to personal discovery as it is a plot device to keep the boys moving along. And yes, it’s the quest for a man — Luke Skywalker — that drives the entire plot. But Rey is successful in finding him largely because of the wisdom and power of other women.

Read the full column here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/05/star-wars-force-awakens-feminism-column/78265780/

’10 Days In A Madhouse’ Brings Back Nellie Bly

’10 Days In A Madhouse’ Brings Back Nellie Bly

The upcoming biopic 10 Days in a Madhouse – The Nellie Bly Story will be releasing in theaters soon, so of course I had to check out the trailer. The movie tells the story of 23-year-old journalist Nellie Bly, who goes undercover for world-famous editor Joseph Pulitzer. In an elaborate plan, Nellie fakes insanity in order to get her herself arrested and committed into Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for women.  After successfully getting committed to the institution, Nellie discovers the shocking truths and injustices happening within the asylum walls. The young journalist goes on to reveal the ugly realities to the world, as she becomes one of the most influential journalists in American history.

With over 8000 submissions from hopefuls hoping to portray Nellie in the film, newcomerCaroline Barry was selected for the coveted role. This casting happening just two months after the young actress moved from Colorado to Los Angeles to pursue acting. In a recent interview, Caroline recounted her audition saying, “the director said he was looking for Nellie Bly’s smile and that optimistic spirit, and he felt my audition was the one that really had that smile and the brightness and optimism” Here, she refers to the director Timothy Hines who is known for his adaption of HG Wells’ War of the Worlds.

Alongside Caroline is actor Christopher Lambert, who stars as E.C. Dent, the head of the mental hospital. Lambert is known for his roles in such films as Highlander and Mortal Combat. He also appears in the upcoming movie Hail Caesar!, where he co-stars alongside Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and George Clooney.  In an interview on LA Talk Radio, Caroline revealed that Christopher brought authenticity to his role as antagonist Dr. Dent by portraying his motives as misguided good rather than evil.

Actress and former supermodel Kelly Le Brock, who you may recognize from her role in the John Hughes cult classic Weird Science, also (continued)

The 5 Best Feminist Quotes Of The Past Week Were Heard By Millions & That's Something To Be Proud Of

The Golden Globes, the State of the Union, and, well, Twitter were among the biggest platforms for talking about feminism this week. If you think about it, it's remarkable — and inspiring — that these outlets have become platforms for gender equality given their reach in our country. Thanks to these platforms, the best feminist quotes of the past week likely reached millions of ears.

Last Sunday, an estimated 18.5 million people watched the 2016 Golden Globes. On Tuesday, more than 30 million people watched President Obama deliver his final State of the Union address. Although both of these audiences were smaller this year than last year, that's still millions of people hearing and watching a primetime program with feminist perspectives woven throughout. Then, of course, there's Twitter. There are hundreds of millions of people on Twitter around the world, and hundreds of thousands of new users signing upevery day. The best feminist tweets of this week weren't only posted to millions of followers (thank you, Emma Watson), but also retweeted thousands of times, hopefully reaching an even wider audience.

It's easy to celebrate when a big name (someone like President Obama) says something feminist — and we should indeed celebrate it. But this week, I'd like to celebrate the millions of people who heard or saw that feminism because, ultimately, isn't it a receptive audience that helps to make their statements so powerful?

Kate Winslet's Girl Power

Handout/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Kate Winslet was honored with the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in Steve Jobs. Even before thanking her co-star Michael Fassbender and production team, Winslet proclaimed, "I just want to start by saying, what an incredible year for women in film." She continued her feminist thoughts in the press room afterward:

I just think that women are doing such great work. I think that there's a lot of us out there in the game. And I've been doing this for 23 years now; Cate Blanchett's been doing it for probably longer, actually. And then there's Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda. I mean, these wonderful women, who we're so fortunate to stand alongside and to learn from, still. And it's just incredibly exciting to have that array of skill for all of us to be inspired by and to be a part of. That is just wonderful. It really feels fantastic. And there's a real sense of girl power in this year in terms of performance. And it's just incredible to be a part of that.

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