Undressing Disability, Sex and Accessability with Jennie Williams from Enhance the UK – Culturally Curious Ep.3

In this episode Nanette Ashby is joined by Jennie Williams, the founder and CEO of the charity Enhance the UK. It was a pleasure to talk to Jennie about disability, sex and accessibility as well as the origins of the charity, the trainings they offer and their campaign Undressing Disability.

The Colonial Legacy in France’s Citizenship Dilemma

by Roisin Moreau France’s history and the daily experiences of French people of colour (a primary example described above) proves that this fetishization of citizenship does not play out on an even playing field for many of its subjects. In reality, many ethnic minorities experience a lack of social acceptance, and are denied “cultural citizenship” (Rosaldo, 1994), proving that identity papers are not always sufficient. 

What HBO´s “The Deuce“ can teach us about the intersection of sex work, power, class and capitalism

by Laura Schranz Due to new court rulings that loosened obscenity rules and left them rather ambiguous and open to interpretation, New York experienced a boom in sex work, leading to the so-called “Golden Age of Porn”. Place of action was mostly the so-called Deuce, a street in Manhattan between Times Square and 8th Avenue.

The importance of safe spaces

by Hanna Eisen There are multiple known cases of power abuse and “inappropriate behaviour” by staff members and professors towards students and other staff members within the Netherlands. Two of those cases have been revealed within Radboud University in the last two years. Additionally, cases of sexual misconduct between students happen regularly, but most of them are not being reported.

De vrouwen van Mad Men – De ruimte van Betty, Peggy en Joan [Raffia Archief]

Door Maartje Willemijn Smits De televisieserie Mad Men schetst een zeer gedetailleerd tijdsbeeld van de jaren zestig in Amerika. Met de tweede feministische golf nog in het verschiet, is seksisme aan de orde van de dag. Hoe deze problematische verhouding tussen mannen en vrouwen precies in elkaar zit, kunnen we beter begrijpen door te kijken naar hun gebruik van ruimte.

How Frida Kahlo’s representation of miscarriage challenges cultural expectations of women’s bodies – An analysis of My Birth (1932)

by Nanette Ashby The representation of the pregnant body is a rare theme in visual arts, especially if it doesn’t represent a happy ending. Visualizing the pain and sorrow of a miscarriage is a traitorous endeavour. Miscarriages are, even today, largely taboo even though they are relatively common. Art interrogates and dissects the lived experience.

Queer cinema en de seksualiteitscrisis in Hollywood

Dit onmenselijke ideaal is echter volledig in lijn met bestaande schoonheidsidealen. Mannen zijn mooi wanneer ze mannelijk zijn. Bizar gespierd, lang en breed. Vrouwen zijn mooi wanneer ze lang haar hebben en een zandloperfiguur. De blockbuster esthetiek probeert zoveel mogelijk de status-quo van het ideaal te representeren. Deze idealen zijn gefilterd door de heteroseksuele verwachtingen van de maatschappij waar rigide gender normen en verwachtingen gelden. 

Caring for those who care: a call for action.

by Elna Schmidt Those who have already experienced a moment in their life where control slips through their fingers know the pain that comes with the realization that for life to be the same again, it needs to be static. It is not. There is no default to which life can return; it has changed. March 2020 marks for many the beginning of such a drastic change, causing life to be altered for good. However, for me, March 2020 also signifies immense pain and the beginning of a horrific journey.