On gender, diversity, and feminism
Door Famke Veenstra van Tijdschrift LOVER
“Wat zijn we ver gekomen, hè? Vroeger konden we alleen nog maar liggen,” zeg ik tegen mijn zus als we de eerste grote hal van Musée d’Orsay in Parijs binnenwandelen. Prachtige marmeren beelden van gespierde heldhaftige mannen en hulpeloze horizontale vrouwen vullen de ruimte.
by Alex Banciu
Fascism seems to be thrown around everywhere these days, so much so that it almost becomes a term for everything that is on the right side of the political spectrum. Surely, there are cases when this term fits perfectly. Europe’s current political landscape is shifting right at an ominous rate. Therefore, it is now a good time to understand why this is happening and what are the factors fueling this shift. But why exactly feminine fascism?
by Alex Banciu A Guardian review called Mulan “the most empowered Disney heroine of all.” One could argue that there is some truth to this statement. Mulan manages to infiltrate the imperial army as a man.
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.
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.
By Lelia Erscoi The choice of pronouns is no arbitrary thing- Sophia’s (“Sophia – Hanson Robotics”, 2022) creators are doing all they can to make you think of it as a “her”. From its appearance, modeled on a mix of women’s faces – Audrey Hepburn’s, Egyptian Queen Nefertiti’s, and its own inventor David Hanson wife’s (Chung, 2022) – to the fact that it was granted human rights in Saudi Arabia (Parviainen, Coeckelbergh, 2021), the whole story behind Sophia is a very fascinating one that aims to inspire. However, that’s what it mostly is – a story.
by Catarina Vila Nova During the Summer months, Esther and Carmen will be riding their motorcycles across 15 European countries in search of what it means to be young and gay in Europe. They will be connecting with partners in film festivals and organizations that advocate for LGBTI+ rights to create a movie platform targeted to professors to get the conversation going in the classroom.
By Hanna Eisen Are you a prude, a good girl, or a slut? It seems like these are the only categories women can fall into regarding their sexuality. While women learn from a young age that they have to act according to societal standards, none of the possible decisions seem to be good enough. One should be flirty, but not too sexy; being a virgin is something to be embarrassed about, but enjoying casual sex is shameful. It seems impossible to walk the fine line of being a “good girl”, especially if that does not fit with the (secret) desires one has.
by Catarina Vila Nova Western societies aspire to ideals of equality but it’s in moments of crisis that the reality of where we still are comes to the fore. When it comes to war, gender norms are almost as rooted as they’ve always been. Even with catchy stories of female soldiers in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine flooding our timelines, traditional gender roles still take hold.
by Reya Suwarsono Film director, Hanung Bramantyo, unfolds the story of Raden Adjeng Kartini (played by Dian Sastrowardoyo), a daughter born into a Javanese family of nobles in 1879. Her father’s position as a Javanese aristocrat working for the Dutch government provided her with the opportunity to attend a Dutch school – a privilege that few Indonesians had. Her exposure to Western ideals and education played a crucial role in her growth as an activist in her later years.
Today’s article focuses on a woman who’s words, written up nearly sixty years ago, are still relevant and strong today: … More
Our next woman on the timeline is someone who is an icon of our time. You probably all know her … More
Raffia 