Latest news with #feminism
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The mother hoping to forge a global multi-million pound empire by championing women who refuse sex before marriage, stay at home and have babies - and buy her £142 milkmaid dresses
Brittany Hugoboom, editor and co-founder of the glossy magazine Evie, arrives with a big smile on her face – and it's hard to interpret it as anything other than a smile of defiance. Evie – and Hugoboom – are controversial even in Donald Trump 's US for their anti-feminist positions. Swipe past the professional fashion shoots and the celebrity gossip, and this is a magazine that advocates no sex before marriage, takes a stand against the Pill, and says feminism is making women depressed.
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Jade Thirlwall's ‘f*** you JK Rowling' chant stems from cult-like trans belief… without women like JK she'd be nothing
POPSTAR Jade Thirlwall chanted: 'F*** you, misogyny. F*** you, JK Rowling' at the weekend. While inciting blatant misogyny from the crowd by inviting them to pile on one woman, Jade seems unaware that there is a massive contradiction happening here. 4 The incident happened as the former Little Mix singer, now performing solo as JADE, was appearing at the LGBTQ+ music festival in London to mark the beginning of the holy month of Pride. I find it absolutely shocking that a 32-year-old popstar would berate Rowling like this. It is beyond baffling and unnerving to me that a woman would attack a feminist who is putting her neck out to help us all. These crowd-pleasing, posturing idiots are so misguided when they think of Rowling as the enemy. I've been an active feminist for more than 40 years, campaigning against issues such as rape, domestic violence, the harms of prostitution and the murder of women. I can tell you that Rowling has done more to support women who are victims of this horrendous abuse than anyone I can think of in all these decades. Look at Rowling's track record. When she bemoaned the fact that not one Rape Crisis service across the whole of Scotland advocated for women and girls only, welcoming men into their midst - even hiring a man as CEO in one instance - she put her money where her mouth was and set up Beira's Place in Edinburgh. When a Leche League - the world's first breastfeeding charity, founded by mothers in 1956 - began to include men who claimed they could breastfeed babies, several trustees resigned and set up MoMa Breastfeeding, a women-only service to which Rowling donated a substantial sum of money. As a lesbian, I am so grateful for her support when it comes to speaking out against the invasion of our precious spaces by perverted men claiming to be women. Rowling's support for those of us encountering grotesque misogyny across the board has been invaluable in the fight. Moment Jade Thirlwall is left speechless by savage The Assembly question Jade has women like Rowling to thank for the fact she's on stage at all, because it is feminists such as Rowling who are beating down the paths for young women to be successful. In fact, Rowling has contributed to the campaigns to keep women like Jade and her contemporaries safe, by speaking out against men's violence. HORRIFIC IRONY Women should be thanking Rowling… not inciting mass hate towards her from a stage. There is a horrific irony that these young women are turning on their own and causing hatred to virtue signal about how lovely they are. While Jade is making a pathetic attempt to please riled-up crowds, Rowling is offering to take three lucky raffle winners out to dinner, with all proceeds from the initiative going to Lumos, a charity that seeks to end poverty, family separation and a lack of accessible services for children with disabilities. 4 4 Encouraging a wound-up crowd to scream angry obscenities against another women – in particular one who has made such a positive difference to so many - is nothing short of Jade betraying her own sex. Rowling's charitable work mainly focuses on supporting vulnerable children and women, in particular those who are most vulnerable to poverty, social deprivation or violence. I would love to know what Jade has done for the good of humanity because it seems to me that she has no track record whatsoever in fighting for the rights of women or any other group of people prone to abuse. Women should be thanking Rowling… not inciting mass hate towards her from a stage. Julie Bindel She, unsurprisingly, supports Stonewall though, and has donated a load of her old clothes to charity. But completely ignoring the world of good Rowling has done and continues to do is lazy and irresponsible. The wilful misunderstanding - based on prejudice and a cult-like belief in transgender ideology - that Rowling is a hateful person harms all of us who are trying to protect women's rights. It is the trans activists who spout hateful, violent rhetoric that has led to physical attacks on some women. Rowling is not 'transphobic' in the slightest. Rather, she protects the rights of all women and girls by refusing to go along with the campaigns from extremists to allow rapists in women's prisons, and to allow sexual predators in female-only changing rooms. ROWLING NOT ENEMY With her privilege and public platform, Jade seems to think that she can throw away the rights that she enjoys as a woman but that she has not done nothing to contribute to. Maybe Jade and her supporters should stop to think for a minute and realise that - without feminists - domestic violence wouldn't be a crime, rape in marriage would be legal and women wouldn't have the vote. If they thought for a moment, these idiots would see that Rowling is not the enemy of women… but trans activists and their misguided 'allies' definitely are.
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Dark Side Of Women's Empowerment
Written by Lauren Hendricks, President and CEO, Trickle Up Women are living through dark times. Gender-based violence kills one woman every 10 minutes, and feminist attitudes and policies—after decades of hard-won progress—are now regressing due to an onslaught of anti-feminist rhetoric in the news, on podcasts, and across social media. Younger generations are shifting to more conservative viewpoints, and anti-feminist beliefs amongst young men have been on the rise. A Trickle Up participant in Odisha, India, works on a task for her small business. These shifting attitudes make it even harder for women to navigate gender bias on their path to economic equity and empowerment. One study across 20 countries found that 40% of respondents felt it was 'natural for men to earn more than women,' 23% agreed that men should be paid more than women for the same job, and 34% believed that men make better business executives than women. What's more, another study found that 60% of Gen Z men across 31 countries believe that women's equality actually discriminates against men. In many of these countries, deeply ingrained patriarchal attitudes deny women autonomy and limit their access to education, financial resources, job opportunities, and business or property ownership—the full spectrum of economic independence. In rural regions where employment opportunities are scarce, one of the best ways for women to reach economic empowerment is through entrepreneurship, but social norms biased against women often create barriers to success. And even when women overcome these barriers, their success can prove dangerous. The Cost of Ambition The threat of women's success to the male ego is universal. Having lived and worked in developing countries, I have seen this dynamic unfold repeatedly: when women become primary breadwinners or earn more than men, it creates conflict. In Uganda, I worked with some of the most capable, intelligent women I have ever met. But many hesitated to accept high-paying international jobs that could transform their families' futures because they feared their husband's disapproval and jealousy. For rural women living in poverty, the situation is even more dire. In my work on women's economic empowerment projects across Africa and Asia, every opportunity had to earn a man's approval, requiring careful navigation around what husbands or fathers would allow. Giving a woman a smartphone could boost her income, but it could also lead to physical violence and confiscation of the phone by her husband. Women across the globe make large and small decisions based on what they believe their husbands or partners will tolerate instead of basing goals on their talents or ambitions—placing limitations on themselves that wouldn't be necessary in the face of true equality. When women step outside their carefully defined roles and succeed too much, they may risk a violent backlash. Redefining Masculinity: From Dominance to Partnership Violence against women is a symptom of a larger problem: some men's belief that they have the right to control women's behavior. Some exert control through violence, some through financial dominance, and others through the threat of divorce and social isolation. Whatever the method, the goal is the same: to keep the women in their lives under their control. The tactics needed to overcome these entrenched and dangerous attitudes require slow and painstaking work on multiple fronts. And much of this is men's work. We need more men to openly support their wives' success. We need more conversations within households about how an entire family benefits when a woman thrives. We need men to congratulate each other when their wives succeed, instead of questioning their masculinity. And we need men to model to their sons the appropriate behavior of showing women respect and decency. The bottom line is that we need to redefine manhood in a way that does not involve dominating women. Shifting harmful gender norms starts with encouraging men of households to be allies (AVSI Foundation). For any of these strategies to succeed, we must engage men and boys and transform them into allies by working at the ground level with families and communities to shift harmful gender norms. Some of this begins with early education on gender issues, while other tactics begin with including men in discussions about economic challenges and financial literacy—which has been shown to encourage joint-decision-making, joint goal setting, greater cooperation, and more equitable partnerships that redistribute household and caregiving responsibilities. Changing Gender Norms by Investing in Women's Potential Dismantling harmful social norms also requires a woman-centered approach. We've discovered that when women earn income, they reinvest in their families and communities, leading to improved health, education, and economic outcomes. Financial independence also gives women greater autonomy, enabling them to challenge oppressive social norms and participate in decision-making in their communities and households. And when men see women as equal partners in the household, we get one step closer to true equity. By providing the right resources to women in rural areas—like seed capital, savings groups, training in financial literacy, and links to local markets—we can help them start and sustain small businesses. And while a savings group may seem like a simple approach, it's more complex than it sounds: these groups are essential venues for women to gather, meet, and learn from one another how to advocate for their rights, negotiate better wages, access new economic opportunities, and build the support and self-esteem they need to take on larger roles in their households and communities. Pushpanjali Baccha of Balangir, India, works with her livelihood coach on her agricultural business. In a world where gender inequality continues to threaten the rights, safety, and potential of women, we must move beyond surface-level solutions. True change starts by recognizing the power women hold and ensuring they have the tools, opportunities, and support to claim it. At Trickle Up, we see every woman not just as a participant in our economic inclusion programs, but as a leader, a provider, and a catalyst for transformation. When women gain economic power, they shift the dynamics of entire communities and reshape the future.
National Post
2 days ago
- General
- National Post
'Liberals are engaging in bad faith politics': Feminist Conservatives fight back
Article content American politics can be a distraction, we agree, and labelling Canadian conservatives as MAGA acolytes is manipulative. But we also agree the federal Conservatives could have done better in the last election, engaging more effectively with female voters, making stronger connections between issues that matter to women — for example, reducing violent crime on streets. 'There was a way their platform could have taken down a lot of this rhetoric on the left about women's rights,' Stella says, 'because, frankly, it's just sensational.' Article content 'The weaponization of feminism, weaponizing what it is to be a conservative,' Stella observes, 'is really frustrating.' There are many women in the conservative movement, she suggests, pointing to Rona Ambrose as one example, who are strong independent thinkers and wouldn't join a party that's actively trying to harm them. Article content Yet it's sometimes difficult to have rational discussions with people, Seniru observes, when they can't explain what underpins their distrust of conservative leadership. 'When I speak with female friends, some of them are conservative, some are not,' Seniru says. Some just believe these things about Poilievre — such as, he's anti-immigrant. 'When I ask why, they say, 'Oh, it's just the vibe that I get.' How do you try to course-correct a vibe?' he shrugs. Article content Do optics influence public perceptions of equality; for example, Prime Minister Mark Carney's gender-balanced cabinet? Seniru is skeptical; he sees Carney's decision to not appoint a gender-balanced cabinet during the election as a ploy to convince conservative-learning voters he wasn't a DEI crusader, like his predecessor. However, he notes, once elected, Carney reverted to diversity quotas. Article content Stella's response is more personal: 'I never want to be told that I got my job or that I'm in a position of power because there's a quota,' she declares. 'Being told that because I'm a woman, things are going to be harder,' that's a message that can be very harmful, she adds. Article content 'We support women when they are liberal and as soon as an unapologetically conservative woman comes to the front,' Stella asserts, 'all of a sudden, that support goes away.' Pointing to people like Alberta NDP opposition leader Naheed Nenshi — who refers to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as a 'pick-me girl' and 'selfie-queen' — Stella suggests this idea of empowering women disappears when the female doesn't fit the narrative of what we think a girl boss should be. Article content Article content Although social media is often identified as a culprit in the deepening divide between young men and women, both Seniru and Stella credit Poilievre's success to a solid online presence over the last few years. And yet, we agree, where are the female influencers in this space? That could make a difference. Conservative females in Canada can't seem to find their Jordan Peterson. Article content And all that sloganeering in the last election, how did that land with young voters? Both Stella and Seniru roll their eyes and submit: You might attract attention with slogans, but younger generations, males and females, also crave substance. Article content 'We're tired of having Boomers think we just care about funny memes,' Stella says, with a chuckle. Article content
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
25 Madonna Songs Thats Shaped Pop Music History
Madonna is one of the all-time greatest female artists, with some of the top hits of the '80s, '90s ... More and beyond. Madonna Louise Ciccone, aka the Queen of Pop, is one of the most successful musical artists of all time, with 18 multiplatinum albums and a knack for creating controversy that has kept her culturally relevant for more than four decades. Known simply by the name Madonna, she moved from Michigan to New York City after high school to pursue a career as an entertainer and released her first album in 1983, quickly becoming one of the top '80s female singers. Madonna music is known for being sexy, spicy and culturally relevant. The best Madonna songs focus on social issues such as religion, feminism and politics. This list of greatest Madonna songs includes music from every era of the versatile singer's career. Madonna is primarily a pop music singer, though she's also experimented with electronica and dance. She has released 14 studio albums, and three of them have sold more than 14 million copies, putting her on par with the Beatles and Whitney Houston. This list is based on commercial sales, critical acclaim and awards recognition. From I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy, 'Hanky Panky' reflects Madonna's playful side and mimics tunes from the movie's 1930s era. Some women's groups criticized Madonna begging, 'You can just spank me,' but she said the song was tongue-in-cheek. It was a top-10 hit in the U.S., Australia and UK. Madonna's songs often deal with the darker side of love, but 'Cherish' from Like a Prayer has a lighter, more optimistic tone. In the video directed by Herb Ritts, a fashion photographer, Madonna romps on the beach with mermen, who became gay icons. The song hit No. 2, her record 16th straight top-five single. The video for 'What It Feels Like for a Girl' (from Music) was directed by Guy Ritchie, Madonna's then-beau, and banned by MTV for its violent imagery. That was kind of the point—the singer wanted to illustrate how society encourages women's independence but ultimately punishes them for it. 'Girl' earned critical kudos. Madonna croons, 'I want to free my soul,' on this release from True Blue. It came amidst intense media scrutiny of the singer's relationship with actor Sean Penn, and she wrote the song to explain what those moments felt like. It wasn't released as a single but still gained popularity due to its heartfelt message. Envisioned as a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone, 'Express Yourself' appeared on Like a Prayer and encouraged women not to settle for 'second-best.' The suggestive video, directed by David Fincher, had a then-record $5 million budget. The girl power anthem urged women to pursue what they want, as men do. Madonna performs "Express Yourself," one of her best singles, at TD Garden on Tuesday, September 4, ... More 2012. Madonna co-wrote this song about ushering out a poor lover with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, advising, 'The night is over/This masquerade is getting older.' As the second single on Bedtime Stories, it topped the charts for seven weeks and established Madonna as one of the quintessential '90s female singers as her 11th No. 1. 'Burning Up' came from Madonna's first studio album, Madonna, and helped cement her as one of the top early '80s artists. It played on one of her favorite themes, sex, with the singer confessing she 'had no shame'—but it was also a double meaning, speaking to her professional ambition on later display as well. Madonna closed out the decade with this electronica banger. The singer channeled '60s psych-pop as inspiration for the song for the soundtrack of Austin Powers film The Spy Who Shagged Me. It peaked at No. 2 in the UK and netted Madonna a fifth Grammy, won for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens-Crowder offered this song to several artists, including the Supremes' Mary Wilson, before Madonna snapped it up for her debut album, Madonna. The dance-pop energy and upbeat tempo helped the song become the singer's first top-20 single, and critics now regard it as one of her finest releases. Remember when Madonna was an actress? This single from her third movie was much more memorable than the film itself—so much so, in fact, that its original title (Slammer) was dropped, and it was renamed Who's That Girl. The Latin pop song, with some lyrics in Spanish, became her sixth No. 1 hit. American singer and actress Madonna with director James Foley on the set of the film "Slammer," ... More later titled "Who's That Girl?." 'Ray of Light,' the title track of Madonna's seventh studio album, sees the singer delve further into electronica and is one of her biggest critical hits, earning three Grammy nods, including Record of the Year. It bowed at No. 5, her highest chart debut. The video also won five MTV Video Music Awards. From Confessions on a Dance Floor, 'Hung Up' marks a return to Madonna's dance club roots, a high-energy song that samples ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'—ABBA has rarely authorized such samples. Madonna tied Elvis with her 36th top 10 single with 'Hung Up' and hit No. 1 in 41 countries. 'Open Your Heart' was the fourth single from Madonna's wildly successful third album, True Blue, and became her fifth No. 1 hit. It also made her just the second female singer to chart three No. 1s from one album. The acclaimed music video is partly inspired by Cabaret. Lyrically, 'Live to Tell' (off of True Blue) marked a departure from earlier Madonna songs, telling of a dark secret she must keep: 'Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned/ Till then it will burn inside of me.' She has never revealed the secret, but it resonated with listeners, rising to No. 1. This song became Madonna's second No. 1 hit, appearing on the Vision Quest soundtrack—and also marking the singer's feature film debut. The pop ballad marked a departure from her earlier dance music, earning her a first Grammy nod (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) and helping her break into adult contemporary. The singer and actress Madonna in concert at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy for one date of her ... More Rebel Heart World Tour. After going to a Sting concert, Madonna was moved to write this song about the unifying power of song. 'Music makes the people come together/Music, mix the bourgeoisie and the rebel,' she sang. The song from the album Music hit No. 1, and the video, which featured then-up-and-comer Sacha Baron Cohen, was a smash. From the first movie Madonna starred in, Desperately Seeking Susan, which she co-wrote, 'Into the Groove' was Madonna's first UK No. 1 and her bestselling early single. The sexual innuendo-laden tract invites a boy to 'prove your love to me.' A Billboard poll once dubbed it the best 1980s dance single. 'Material Girl' was one of the defining '80s songs, appearing on her second album, Like a Virgin. Though Madonna has said she herself isn't materialistic, she liked the provocative nature of the song, which declares, 'We are living in a material world.' The song vaulted the singer to superstardom, topping the Hot Dance Club Songs. Another Like a Virgin hit, 'Dress You Up' opens dreamily, 'You've got style, that's what all the girls say.' The song, widely regarded as one of Madonna's top singles, got a boost when the Parents Music Resource Center added it to its "Filthy Fifteen" for suggestive lyrics—helping into Billboard's top five. From Madonna's debut album, 'Borderline' is so catchy and danceable that it's no wonder it became the singer's first top-10 hit. The video depicted an interracial romance as Madonna proclaimed, 'You just keep on pushin' my love/Over the borderline.' 'Borderline' drew critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone naming it the No. 2 song of the year. Softer and more experimental than most of her previous music, 'Justify My Love' became Madonna's ninth No. 1 single. Lenny Kravitz co-wrote the song, which portrayed the singer's sexual fantasies and belief women were in charge in the bedroom. MTV banned the suggestive video with Madonna's then-boyfriend Tony Ward, which nonetheless went multiplatinum. Madonna performs during opening night of The Celebration Tour at The O2 Arena on October 14, 2023 in ... More London. One of the most iconic '90s songs, this single from I'm Breathless is high-class fun. Madonna pays tribute to the stars of yesteryear. 'Strike a pose,' she encourages, later repeating, 'Don't just stand there, let's get to it/Strike a pose, there's nothing to it.' It became her biggest-selling single to date. 'Papa Don't Preach' appeared on True Blue and has become one of the most notable Madonna songs due to its content. It addresses women's autonomy and has also been interpreted as a pro-choice anthem, since the lyrics deal with a father's reaction to teen pregnancy. This marked Madonna's fourth No. 1 single. Madonna's performance of 'Like a Virgin' at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards remains an indelible pop culture moment. It was Madonna's first song to top the Hot 100, from the album of the same name, and has sold more than 6 million worldwide. She continues to sing the popular tune on her concert tours. Perfectly uniting Madonna's obsessions with sex, religion and taboos, 'Like a Prayer' may set a record for double entendres, like this lyric: 'I'm down on my knees/I wanna take you there.' The catchy song had an equally controversial video in which Madonna sleeps with a Black saint. Needless to say, it hit No. 1. Bottom Line Madonna is one of the most successful and revered pop singers in history for a reason. Her top songs reveal an ability to change with the times while continuing to get people talking and build her reputation. You can enjoy every song on this list over and over without tiring of them.
