Tag Archives: women’s rights
Celebrating Mothers on International Women’s Day
Women in ads should be real women…
Turkish men in skirts protest violence against women
Many women are attacked, harmed or killed in Turkey. A 17-year-old and a 20-yer-old were recently raped and killed. Some brave men wanted to show support and demand protection for their sisters, daughters, mothers and friends. They wore skirts in a big march in Istambul to show there should be no difference in the way women and men are treated in their country. They want Turkey to be a safer place for the women in their lives.
Men In Skirts Protest Violence Against Women In Turkey – YouTube.
Is the Oscars Academy a male chauvinist institution?
Hey Academy, I’m a Woman. – YouTube.
The Oscars Academy is 93% white and 76% male… In the Directing, Writing and Cinematography sections, nominees were 26 men to… 0 women! Isn’t it time they included some diversity?
Three actresses got fed up with the Academy for excluding women and wrote a song about it. Go girls!
Plus-size model Tess Holliday gets a contract with a major company
Obama says “Violence against women is not ok!”
During the Grammy awards ceremony yesterday, President Obama had a message to ask artists to help fight against the violence so many women suffer from.
President Obama’s Message at the 2015 GRAMMY Awards – YouTube.
Plus-sized model shows curves look good in Sports Illustrated Magazine
Whereas swimsuits models are usually very slim, this size 14-16 model, Ashley Graham, shows that curvy women can look great in bikinis too. This ad was accepted in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated Magazine. It’s good to see that women can be allowed to show some curves and that all sizes can be beautiful!
Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition features ad with plus-sized model for first time – YouTube.
Girls can be anything!
Little girls deserve good toys
Boys have always had great toys to help them imagine, build, create, play and grow… In many shops, the “little girls” aisle is full of pink glittering toys that just invite girls to dream they are princesses. Girls deserve better!
Kurdish women fighters against IS
“We either die or win. No fighter is leaving,” Esmat al-Sheikh, leader of the Kobani Defence Authority, told Reuters. “The world is watching, just watching and leaving these monsters to kill everyone, even children…but we will fight to the end with what weapons we have.”
Some people have more motivation than others. Those people include women. A very large percentage of the YPG fighters are women. (YPG: the Kurdish People’s Protection Units)
I asked her about YPG’s women’s wing, the YPJ (Women’s Protection Units), and the women fighters coming from Turkey. She said Kurdish women were as equally involved in defense affairs as in social services. “We have set up training camps for women in all three cantons. Women are active in all fronts,” she said. “Of the first 20 martyrs we had when IS attacked Kobani, 10 were women. Last year, of our 700 YPG martyrs, 200 were women…”
I reminded Nimet of the legends we hear of IS militants fearing to encounter women fighters. She replied, “This is not a myth but reality. I personally met IS fighters face-to-face. They believe they won’t go to paradise if they are killed by women. That is why they flee when they see women fighters.”
From The AlterNet
Malala’s story
Reactions to Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize from girls in her old school
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Malala Yousafzai, Kailash Satyarthi Awarded Nobel Peace Prize – YouTube.
Malala Yusafsai is the youngest ever Nobel Peace prize winner, whereas Kailash Satyarthi is in his sixties. She comes from Pakistan, he comes from India: their countries are close neighbors yet have often been at war since the Partition of India in 1947. She is a woman, he is a man, but both fight for the rights of children (all children!) to freedom and education. She is a Muslim, he is a Hindu: the proof that different religions can agree and work together towards a humanitarian goal that is common to both. Their joint prize is a message of hope for the world!
Emma Watson makes UN speech for gender equality
Emma Watson Tells Men It’s Time To Fight For Gender Equality – YouTube.
Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson delivered an emotional and powerful speech at the United Nations headquarters on Saturday to help launch the HeForShe gender equality campaign.
Here are some extracts from her speech asking for equal rights for men and women:
“We want to end gender inequality and to do this, we need everyone involved. This is the first campaign of its kind at the UN. We want to try to galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for change”
“the more I’ve spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop.”
“for the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”
“I think it is right that socially, I am afforded the same respect as men.”
“But sadly, I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights. No country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality. These rights, I consider to be human rights”
“Men, I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too. Because to date, I’ve seen my father’s role as a parent being valued les by society despite my needing his presence, as a child, as much as my mother’s.”
“We don’t want to talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are. “
“We should stop defining each other by what we are not and start defining ourselves by who we are. We can all be freer and this is what HeForShe is about. It’s about freedom.”
“If you believe in equality, you might be one of those inadvertent feminists that I spoke of earlier and for this, I applaud you.”
“I am inviting you to step forward to be seen and to ask yourself, ‘If not me, who? If not now, when?'”
Sexy curves: all sizes can look good at the beach!
Egyptian girl rapper with a message
This 18 year old girl with a hijab is an Egyptian rapper. She wants to show that Rap is not just for American males talking about sexy girls, crime and money. She has a message to offer and she thinks girls should make themselves heard…