Light Entertainment in Which the Obvious Bullshit Adds to the Charm..

http://www.newstatesman.com/media/2012/10/sinister-campaign-against-page-

The "No More Page Three" campaign is still going strong, recently adding Girl Guides to the ever growing list of supporters.
However, this article offers a differing opinion, suggesting that the nudity on page three is not the issue.

"The most disturbing thing about Page 3 isn’t the fact that there are naked breasts on it; it’s that every pair of naked breasts looks the same, expresses the same opinions, and exists in a context where the owners of naked breasts are casually belittled and dehumanised."

I think that the point, generally, is a good one. We as a society shouldn't become too bogged down with the idea of nudity, we don't want future generations to grow up prudish with the view that the body is something to be ashamed of and sexuality should be condemned. But, on the other hand, there is an appropriate time and place for these things to be portrayed and I don't believe that the UKs top selling 'Family Newspaper' is one of them. The reason that Page Three is offensive to me is that nudity is used, not to highlight the beauty of the human form, or celebrate the differences therein, but in order to portray Women casually as sexual consumable objects in everyday life. It is this casual use of these images, in a place which they should be so foreign that makes Page Three so dangerous.
In a society where on the one hand women are 'Slut Shamed' for showing any signs of sexuality, (How many celebrities have their reputations tarnished after getting caught in sex tape scandals) yet on the other hand reading the morning news we are unwillingly and abruptly subjected to oversexualised imagery, that should be found exclusively within the porn industry.

Is there really any wonder why many young men find it acceptable to cat-call and defame strangers in the street when their attitudes to women have been formed through such a confusing cocktail of images and articles from a supposedly trustworthy 'family' source?

Lego recently joined the cause and abolished their partnership with 'The Sun', hopefully Page Three won't be far behind.

Boys Are Stupid, Throw Rocks At Them...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287198/Revealed--OTHER-offensive-T-shirts-available-Amazon-forced-axe-Keep-Calm-Rape-clothing-line.html

Amazon has been highly criticised this week for allowing these t-shirts to be sold on their website:

These are obviously highly inappropriate and it is good that Amazon have been forced to take them down, as making light of such issues is wrong, especially on a T-shirt where you could easily walk past victims of sexual violence.
Having said that, the disgust generated by this made me think about these other t-shirts that have been sold for years:

So if these are seen as acceptable, what then, is the issue? Is it purely that men are less offended by such things? Or, is it that women (mostly) are less physically threatening to males and therefore such jokes don't have serious undertones?

Either way, I think we need to be really careful that it's not one rule for one...

The Ex-Stripper of the Art World...

"Ever since women have dared to vie with men by setting up as artists, they have been mocked by the fact that historically the female is an object of art rather than a maker of art. The muse who took up the pen found herself writing about herself, or, rather, the version of herself that she had already learnt from the works of men."- Germaine Greer 'Mirror Mirror' on Stella Vine. 

Despite becoming a hugely successful artist, pursued by the likes of Charles Saatchi and having her own show in Modern Art Oxford, you will find it hard pressed to find a review of Stella Vine that does not include informing you of her stripper past. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/jul/08/art

This article from The Guardian covers that show and states; "Old photos reveal her to have been a real beauty a few years ago but since then she has gained weight and cropped her hair, as if to declare that she has no further interest in being pretty"
This, I find offensive for two reasons; the first being that the writer is claiming that gaining weight over the years and changing ones hair style renders a woman unattractive. 
The second issue is that this comment feels like a criticism, as though Vine has 'let herself go' and lost her femininity in order to become a 'quirky and successful artist' as if one person could not exist as both. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/apr/02/damien-hirst-retrospective-tate-modern

In contrast to this The Guardians article on Damien Hirst's Tate show last summer does not once mention his physical appearance over the years since he began exhibiting. We aren't told whether or not Hirst has gained weight, the article, (funnily enough), talks about his work and his retrospective.

Are we, female creatives, really going to have to revert to the idea of the Bronte sisters and exhibit our work under male pseudonyms in order for it to be viewed and criticised respectfully without mentioning whether or not WE are attractive? 

#nomorepage3

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/dominic-mohan-take-the-bare-boobs-out-of-the-sun-nomorepage3

I just signed the No More Page 3 petition.
It's not about slut shaming or judging women that choose to model like this but I think that it is really important that we eradicate Page 3 from Britain's most widely read "family" newspaper.
We need to abolish the ways in which we portray women as merely sexual objects, especially from sources that younger generations establish their gender conceptions from.

This is Warwick University's Student Union President:

This video shows Warwick University Sudent Union President, Nick Swain, unhooking the bra of a female student whilst a chorus of "get your tits out" is oh so eloquently bellowed.
How can anyone claim that we live in an equal society when the highly educated and elected responsible people, who are supposed to lead us forwards are this backwards?

Still Not Asking For It...

This image has proven to be quite volatile within its online reception. The woman is shown topless with covered nipples and the words "still not asking for it" written across her front.
I think that this is something that we as a society strongly need to address, we seem to be of the general opinion that any person who is deemed to be dressed in a provocative way or acting in a particular manner is willingly attracting sexual attention, even inviting violent sexual behaviour.

http://zeldalily.com/index.php/2012/11/still-not-asking-for-it/

This article uses the metaphor of a home. If you were to leave your windows open, burglar alarm unset or even your front door wide open you would not be asking for a burglar to visit.
So why, then do we seem to want to teach young girls how to try and avoid getting raped, instead of young boys not to grow up with the mindset of a rapist?
It is a sad society when our initial thought is to wonder what it was that the victim was doing (or wearing) wrong.

I lied. Sometimes, I Am Angry.

www.foulmouthedshirts.com

I just discovered this t-shirt website, it is absolutely atrocious.
It sells t-shirts with slogans condoning rape and general mistreatment of women. The section for womens t-shirts are just as bad.
Who buys these??