feminist

Punk women, taking up the space we deserve.

music

Today we had a fun pre-gig practice with Mike (Dinosaur Skull) who is standing in for Tabi on drums at the Queens Head tomorrow. We are so excited about this gig, we’ve been playing gigs for almost 23 years and for most of that we’ve been the ‘token girls’ in a man’s domain. This is the first time we have played on such a female centric line up (Mike will be the only man on stage all night). 23 years ago we could only dream of this line up happening. Mike organised this gig, and when he was choosing the bands for the night he said that it didn’t hit him until the line up was fixed that he would be the only man on stage all night, and he said that he wants to wear a ‘token male’ T-shirt to the gig, (so I drew him wearing it).

Gina Martin

Political

Gina Martin is an inspiration and hero.  

In summer 2017 Gina was at a music festival when she became aware that a man standing nearby had taken a photo up her skirt of her crotch and was sharing the picture with his friends in the crowd. She grabbed his phone, despite him being quite a bit bigger than her, and ran to the police with it. She was horrified that the police told her that they could not do anything. 

But, Gina didn’t give up, she started an online petition and began campaigning to make up-skirting a criminal offence. 

A few days ago a law was passed so that now ‘up skirting’ is a sexual offence in England and Wales. We have Gina Martin to thank for bringing about this well overdue law. 

Shoes

Political

I went to the ‘Making Her Mark’ exhibition at Hackney Museum.

Many incredible and courageous women are celebrated in the exhibition, but these shoes really struck me. They are so normal. They are smart, flat shoes. They are not fancy, they are not the shoes that you would imagine are ‘activist’ shoes. They are just normal shoes. I have shoes like this (for wearing on rare ‘smart’ occasions). Almost all women I know have these shoes.

Nicola Thorp got sent home from work for wearing these shoes. I’m not sure what Nicola Thorp’s job is, but it is not a firefighter or builder or mountaineer, (all of which are professions that these shoes are unsuitable for). Nicola Thorp got sent home for wearing these shoes because at her work place the dress code for women is to have high heeled shoes. This was in 2015.

Nicola Thorp decided to complain about this. She started an online petition, which led to unfair and sexist dress codes being discussed in parliament.

So, Nicola Thorp’s normal shoes, which look so normal, and not at all the shoes of an activist, are changing laws.

Hurrah for Nicola and her shoes!

NICOLA_THORPS_SHOES