Elle Australia — May 2017

T

he likelihood that you’ve felt

boiling-point angry about

something you’ve seen or read

of late is incredibly high to

certain. Maybe you’ve railed

against anti-abortion rhetoric, clenched

¢˜ž› ꜝœ  ‘Ž— Š “žŽ Œ‘Š•”Ž ‘’œ

–’œŒ˜—žŒ ˜ Š›œ Š Ž–Š•Ž ›Š™Ž

Ÿ’Œ’– ž™ ˜ Š ȃ”—˜ •ŽŽ ŽęŒ’Ȅ ˜›

 ŠŒ‘Ž•’Ÿ’ŠœŠ—˜‘Ž›ŒŠ™Š‹•Ž ˜–Š—

got passed over for a promotion in place

˜ Š •ŽœœȬšžŠ•’ꮍ –Š—ǯ ‘Š—ŒŽœ Š›Žǰ

you’re not staying quiet about it.

— ¢˜žȂ›Ž —˜ Š•˜—Žǯ ŘŖŗŝ  ’•• ‹Ž

›Ž–Ž–‹Ž›Ž Šœ ‘Ž ¢ŽŠ›  ˜–Ž— ˜ž—

feminism again. We’ve stripped back

‘Ž •˜œœ¢ ‘’›Ȭ ŠŸŽ ’ŽŠ ˜ Ž–’—’œ–

that’s all about celebrating our

Ž–™˜ Ž›ŽǰŠœŽž••¢Ž¡™˜œŽǰ–’•ŽȬ

Œ•Šœœ‹›ŽŠœœǻŠ•‘˜ž‘ ŽȂ›Ž›’‘‘Ž›Ž

 ’‘ ¢˜žǰ ––Š Šœ˜—Ǽǰ Š—

›Ž–Ž–‹Ž›ŽŽ–’—’œ–’œŠœ˜Œ’Š•Ȭ“žœ’ŒŽ

issue. While it may have taken the election

˜›ž–™Š—ŠŸ˜Ž˜››Ž¡’˜ Š”Žžœ

ž™ǰ˜ž›‘Ȭ ŠŸŽŽ–’—’œ–’œ›˜Š›’—ǯ

ž ˜ ž—Ž›œŠ—  ‘Ž›Ž  ŽȂ›Ž Š

—˜ ǰ  Ž —ŽŽ ˜ ˜ ‹ŠŒ” ˜ ‘Ž ŸŽ›¢

‹Ž’——’—ǯ Ž–’—’œ– Šœ  Ž ”—˜  ’

today began at the turn of the 20th

ŒŽ—ž›¢  ’‘ ‘Ž œžě›ŠŽ, spearheaded

‹¢ —•’œ‘ ŠŒ’Ÿ’œ ¢•Ÿ’Š Š—”‘ž›œ

Š—‘Ž›Ž‹Ž• ˜–Ž— ‘˜•˜œ‘Ž’›•’ŸŽœ

for the right to vote – the campaigning

˜  ‘’Œ‘  Šœ ™Š› ˜ Š ‹›˜ŠŽ›

–˜ŸŽ–Ž— ˜›  ˜–Ž— ˜ ‹Ž œŽŽ— Šœ

something other than a man’s property.

—‘Žŗş‘ŒŽ—ž›¢ǰ ˜–Ž— Ž›ŽŽ’‘Ž›

legally considered their husband’s or

their father’s possession. They had no

•ŽŠ•˜›ę—Š—Œ’Š••’ŸŽœ ’‘˜žŠ–Š—˜

›Ž•¢˜—ǯ‘’Ž ˜–Ž— Ž›Ž›Š—Ž‘Ž

›’‘ ˜ Ÿ˜Ž ’— žœ›Š•’Š ’— ŗşŖŘǯ ’¡¢

¢ŽŠ›œ •ŠŽ›ǰ —’Ž—˜žœ  ˜–Ž—  Ž›Ž

granted the right alongside them.

‘’•Ž ꛜȬ ŠŸŽ Ž–’—’œ– œŠ 

 ˜–Ž— become legally independent,

Š Œ‘’Ž Œ›’’Œ’œ–  Šœ ‘Š ’ ‘Š •Š›Ž•¢

‹ŽŽ— Œ˜—ŒŽ›—Ž  ’‘  ‘’Ž  ˜–Ž—Ȃœ

’œœžŽœǯ ‘Ž œŽŒ˜—  ŠŸŽ ˜ Ž–’—’œ–ǰ

œŠ›’—ȱ’—ȱ‘ŽȱȂŜŖœǰȱ ŠœȱŒ˜—ŒŽ›—Žȱ ’‘ȱ

˜™Ž—’—ž™Ž–’—’œŠŽ—Šœ˜ę‘˜›

–’—˜›’¢  ˜–Ž— Ȯ  ˜–Ž— ˜ Œ˜•˜ž›ǰ

 ˜–Ž—  ’‘ Š ’œŠ‹’•’¢ǰ •Žœ‹’Š— Š—

‹’œŽ¡žŠ•  ˜–Ž— Ȯ Š—  Šœ –Š›”Ž ‹¢

a need to respond to the myriad

’쎛Ž—ŒŽœ  ˜–Ž— •’ŸŽ  ’‘ǰ Š—

‘›˜ž‘ǯ ‘Ž œŽŒ˜—  ŠŸŽ Š•œ˜ Œ›ŽŠŽ

–˜›Ž ™ž‹•’Œ œ™ŠŒŽ ˜›  ˜–Ž—ǯ —

žœ›Š•’Š ’— ŗşŜśǰ  ˜–Ž—  Ž›Ž œ’•• —˜

Š••˜ Ž ˜ ›’—” ’— ™ž‹œ ’— ‘Ž œŠ–Ž

room as men. Women chained

themselves to bars to make the point

‘Š ‘Ž ȃ™ž‹•’ŒȄ ’— ™ž‹•’Œ ‘˜žœŽ œ‘˜ž•

’—Œ•žŽ ˜–Ž—ȮŠ ˜–Š—Ȃœ™•ŠŒŽ Šœ’—

œ˜Œ’Ž¢ǰ—˜“žœ’—‘Ž‘˜–Žǯ

‘’œ ꐑ ˜› ŽšžŠ•’¢  ’‘ –Ž— ‘Š

™›˜‹•Ž–œDZ  Ž Š›Ž —˜ –Ž—ǯ Ž Š›Ž

’쎛Ž— ›˜– –Ž— Š— ‘’œ –ŠĴŽ›œǯ

Women should be valued for being

unique, not the same as men. We can

’ŸŽ ‹’›‘ǰ  Ž  ˜›” Œ˜••Š‹˜›Š’ŸŽ•¢ǰ

 Ž ‹›’— Ž–™Š‘¢ Š— Ž–˜’˜—Š•

’—Ž••’Ž—ŒŽ ˜ œ’žŠ’˜—œ ’—  Š¢œ –Ž—

˜Ž— ŒŠ——˜ǯ ‘¢ ‘Ž— ˜  Ž —ŽŽ ˜

‹ŽŒ˜–Ž •’”Ž Š –Š— ˜ ‹Ž  ˜›‘¢ ˜

political or legal rights?

’‘ ‘Ž‘’›  ŠŸŽ ŒŠ–Ž ‘Ž •˜œœ˜

Š •˜ ˜  ‘Š –ŠĴŽ›Ž Š‹˜ž Ž–’—’œ–ǯ

Beyoncé may have thrust the issue into

the spotlight, but the branding of celebrity

’Ž—’¢ Šœ Ž–’—’œ œŠ  ŒŠ™’Š•’œ– Š—

feminism come together and leave those

 ‘˜ —ŽŽŽ ™˜•’’ŒŠ• ›Ž™›ŽœŽ—Š’˜— ‹¢

‘Ž  Š¢œ’Žǯ ‘’•Ž ™˜™ž•Š› Ž–’—’œ–

œŠ Girls take over TV screens and

’•Ž¢ ¢›žœ Œ‘Š–™’˜—Ž ˜› •Žœ‹’Š—

Š—›Š—œ’œœžŽœǰ ˜–Ž— ’‘’œŠ‹’•’’Žœ

•˜œ ŽŸŽ— –˜›Ž •ŽŠ• œŠ—’—  ’‘ ‘Ž

introduction of the National Disability

—œž›Š—ŒŽ Œ‘Ž–Žǰ ‹˜›’’—Š•  ˜–Ž—

continue to have one of the highest

ŽŠ‘ ›ŠŽœ ’—žœ›Š•’Šǰ Š—  ˜–Ž— ˜

colour remain grossly under-represented

on the global political stage.

‘Ž –ŽœœŠŽ —˜ DZ Ž–’—’œ– ’œ –˜›Ž

than a fashion accessory. There’s still

Š•˜˜ ˜›”˜›Ž–’—’œ–˜˜ǯžě›ŠŽ

–’‘‘ŠŸŽ ˜—žœ‘ŽŸ˜Ž‹ž ˜–Ž—

’— Ž¡ŽŒž’ŸŽ ™˜œ’’˜—œ ’— žœ›Š•’Š œ’••

earn, on average, $90K per annum@

PUSSY RIOT

Channel it, chant it, scrawl it on a placard:feminism is back. University of Sydney

associate professor Anna Hickey-Moody talks us through exactly where we’re at

“Iamnotinterestedin

theoldstereotypes,of

whatafeministlooks

likeordoesn’tlooklike.

Idon’tthinkthereisone

waytobeafeminist.”

• MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI

ELLE.COM.AU / @ELLEAUS 71