Feminsim

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

She was harassed three times on one week.

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

It also talks about the positive experiences that other people have from Sexism, meaning the actions they have taken/take to prevent anyone else becoming a victim of racism.
3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

People communicated their experiences through the internet - connecting everyone.

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 think that feminism will not be needed in 20 years. The equality will become the norm and people will just accept each other regardless of whatever gender they are. 

People like Laura Bates will be known as leaders in the social community as she pushed for change and I think sooner or later, the world will be dominated by people that know how to prevent sexual harassment. In the next 20 years, the amount of people who commit such hateful atrocities will be educated or rightly punished. We are heading towards an inevitable turning point in equality.

Media Magazine:

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

Networked feminism is also known as 'the fourth wave'. This is a movement that began around 2010 where feminists used the power of social media to express societal concerns about modern day feminism.

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’? 

1st wave; suffragettes
2nd wave; equal pay and rights (1960-1990)
3rd wave; Challenging stereotypes
4th wave; digitalised version of 3rd wave

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 is a website launched by Laura Bates who set it up due to her being harassed three times in one week. The website encourages victims of sexism to share their stories to make both men and women aware of the things that go on that they might not necessarily see. The aim of the website is to empower women and men to stand up to acts of sexism. Recently, the website has been getting a lot of submissions of how different people around the world have each tried to prevent acts of sexism taking place. This is a clear example of utilising the internet to spread the message of sexism, known as the fourth wave.

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 think that we are still in the third and final wave of feminism. The recent rise of feminism on the digital connected platform has only amplified the movement that started in the 90s. I think that feminism will have no place in society in a few decades as everyone will be thoroughly educated by the sprawl of feminist platforms in recent years.

Feminism is a great movement that pushes for equality between males and females. There are many great initiatives that support this fast growing movement such as HeForShe and Everday Sexism which both push for equality and encourages others to stand up and be confident.