Episode Ten: Everyday Sexism

A video about how sexism concerns men:





The story of the Everyday Sexism project




Some links on the topic:

The website of Everyday sexism.

On the Everyday Sexism project(Guardian article)

On Nick Griffin's reaction to the Nigella/ Saatchi incident and a tabloid article on the subject.

On making your legs hairy to detract attention.

The Bechdel test website.

Sexism in politics (Guardian article)

The "I NEED FEMINISM BECAUSE" project


Some points that Very Loose Women discussed on the topic of sexism outside of the show


"The very acceptance of these things as norms is sexist. Women are taught, as young girls, to accept their position in society as weak, subject to male domination. They are taught to be flattered if considered beautifuul (their value as a sexual object is prized over everything else). This is why commenting on a politician's dress is inherently sexist as the implication is that it is in some way indicative of their sexual value. The expectation is that women should prioritise men / finding a spouse, and this is implicit in many of the conversations women are depicted to have in films / TV etc - the reality is that when confronted by this image of women daily (bombarded by media which reinforces this role for women), many women conform to those expectations. The fact that women behave in a stereotypically female way is arguably a product of nurture as opposed to nature. These assumptions about what 'men' and 'women' should be are bollocks in my view."


"Commenting on male politician's dress: Sarkozy's heels (his height), Sarkozy's jogging wear ("le President bling-bling") But I agree with everything you said. And obviously women's dress is more frequently commented on that Sarkozy's. Also this is what I mean when I say I am incapable of producing good retorts for antifeminist schpiel that I know is wrong in my gut but can't formulate it in words. This morning I did a poor job of convincing this guy he was being a twat. I'm also afraid of antagonising antifeminists because I know that as soon as I step too far in one direction they stop listening."


"My feeling is that it's all fairly obvious that not everything is black and white, that sometimes women attack men, that some women are awful. I like to use words like "twat." Some women like S&M. It's not a one size fits all way of interacting as humans. BUT there are clear overarching problems - many more women are raped than men. 5% of those rapes are prosecuted. 25% of women will suffer domestic violence. We don't know the context of the Nigella/Saatchi relationship but we do know that her throat was grabbed and she cried in a public restaurant and that is distasteful if not categorically abuse. Men are more aggressive than women in most societies and proportionately more likely to suffer from violence from other men. A lot of sexism/misogyny is based around entrenched cultural attitudes- e.g fgm, honour killings, and other socio- economic factors which lead to gangs and gang rape initiations, or violent teenagers. Across all society are problems like alcoholism which can cause violence. At the other end of the scale, a similar example is - door holding open and other acts of chivalry designed to make women feel special. Some women hate it, others love it. The reason the media has 'femail' sections etc and so many mags commenting on womens bodies is that people buy it. In this case- women. No one knows the roles genetics and environmental stuff plays in creating a male and female mind with allegedly different skills. As a women being a CEO is incredibly difficult/unlikely. Why? Is it hormones, is it a skill set? Is it becauyse men don't like it. Is it because women have a better sense of work life balance? Is it maternity leave? The fact is, the upper echelons are ruled by men."