The Sydney Feminists

Discliamer: The views in this piece reflect the opinion of the author. Feminism is diverse and there are many differing opinions on this subject. 1,060 cases of female genital cutting (‘FGC’) were recorded by the National Health Service in the UK, between July and September last year. [i] The first prosecution using anti-FGC laws in Ireland began last month. [ii] It is time for Australian law makers to reflect on the adequacy of our legislation. Australia does not collect any official data on rates of female genital cutting. However, No FGM Australia – a not-for-profit aimed at protecting survivors and preventing future FGC – estimated in 2014 that Australia has over 83,000 women and girls who are survivors of FGC, or are at risk. [iii] Despite these numbers, there has been one successful prosecution of FGC in Australia, since the laws were introduced over 20 years ago. Our laws are inadequate, and this is because the law making process has excluded the voices of the women ...

To many, 2017 will be remembered as a very bad year. To me, 2017 will be remembered as the year women got together to start a series of revolutions against structural inequality. 2017 was the year of women’s anger. 2017 was the year of the Women’s March on Jan 21st, a worldwide protest led by women. It was in reaction to Trump’s inauguration, but the goal was to protect hard-won rights, to safety, to health, to the right of existence for diverse communities. That goal echoed around the world, including here in Sydney, pinked and pussy-hatted women gathered around the world, together. 2017 was also the year of the #metoo silence breakers .  Post Weinstein, the long-silenced discussions of sexual harassment began to have a space, and women and men started sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault. There were questions thrown up about the movement, challenging power structures always brings questions, but there are more people within the movement still pushing back....

Review:  Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy by Magdalena Yesil (Review copy provided courtesy of the publisher) Magdalena Yesil travelled from Turkey to the United States to go to college and became a pioneering entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Most recently, she’s known for early investment in Salesforce, now a multibillion dollar company and cofounder of Broadway Angels, a group of female investors that invest in start-ups. Power Up is written for women building careers in tech, but really, it is applicable to anyone building a professional or business career. Yesil offers realistic advice about building a career in male dominated business including guidance on topics that people (but especially women) can struggle with, like sexual dynamics, getting credit for work and pay imbalances among other things. It’s an effortless book to devour, mostly because Yesil’s voice comes through clear, personal and genuine. Her story is inspiring and you are immedi...

Lillian Gish was one of the most influential and famous actors in Hollywood’s history. Her first film was in 1912 and a career spanning seventy-five years followed. Gish’s partnership with pioneering director D. W. Griffith is regarded as one of the greatest collaborative relationships of all time. Some of their films include Way Down East (1920), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919) and the controversial, and highest grossing film of the silent era, The Birth of a Nation (1915). Not only having a successful acting career, Gish was also a writer, director and producer. She received an honorary Academy Award in 1971. As the years passed, the media dubbed Gish “The First Lady of American Cinema.” Lillian Diana Gish was born on the 14 th of October, 1893, in Springfield, Ohio. Her father left when she was young. Running low on money and with nowhere else to turn, Gish’s mother, Mary, and her daughters joined a group of traveling actors. Gish and her sister, Dorot...

A big influence on the modern Hollywood acting style comes from Stella Adler. She had done away with the earlier big gestures used in silent film acting, such as an actor placing both hands on their heart to indicate sorrow. She bridged the gap between early twentieth-century Russian theatre and what was becoming popular in film at the time. Adler drew from the imagination rather than personal experience. She had a name in American theatre, appeared in a handful of films and has taught some of the greatest actors of all time. She was known for her harsh, but fair analysis of student’s skills. Some included Marlon Brando and James Dean. Even after her passing, the likes of Mark Ruffalo and Angelina Jolie have studied at her acting schools. Stella Adler was born on the 10 th of February, 1901. Her father, Jacob P. Adler, was a famous actor on the Yiddish Theatre circuit. She was only four-years-old when he had her star in one of his productions, Broken Hearts . Adler had ...