Melinda Tankard Reist

Melinda Tankard Reist is a Canberra-based writer, speaker and commentator, with a special interest in issues affecting women and girls.

Full profile

• Shamed for packing a chocolate slice — beware the lunch box police Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted February 10, 2017 08:44:04 | Updated February 10, 2017 08:53:05

  An Adelaide kindy sent home a note asking a child's parents to pack healthier food. The mother should pack two slices tomorrow, writes Melinda Tankard Reist.

  Topics: children, parenting, preschool, primary, child-health-and-behaviour, australia

• UK addresses sexualisation of children: what's Australia doing? Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted June 08, 2011 12:45:35

  If Britain's regulatory bodies, retailers and children's commissioner can get behind sexualisation of childhood recommendations, why can't Australia's equivalents get on board?

  Topics: community-and-society, family-and-children, child-abuse, child-care, health, child-health-and-behaviour, social-policy, government-and-politics

• I love sex: General Pants gives customer service a whole new meaning Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted May 10, 2011 12:47:36

  How it is, that in the year 2011, a major fashion retailer can so completely ignore workplace sexual harassment laws by expecting its young employees to wear “I love sex” badges at work?

  Topics: women, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, rights, work

• Teen girl kicked to cause miscarriage. Let’s not get emotional Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted April 13, 2011 15:38:54

  There is something especially disconcerting about arguments used to restore Shaun Metcalf to the NRL sporting life. Arguments which come close to violence apologism.

  Topics: women, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, crime, assault, sport, rugby-league, nrl

• New song from Delta's man feeds rape myth

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted February 28, 2011 08:46:01 | Updated February 28, 2011 12:07:00

  Can someone please tell Brian McFadden that ‘taking advantage’ of a woman when she’s drunk is sexual assault and against the law?

  Topics: music, music-industry, pop, popular-culture, domestic-violence, person

• Showing respect for women the AFL way

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted February 15, 2011 15:27:43

  Lance “Buddy” Franklin has designed a range of porn-themed t-shirts - where does that fit into the AFL's Respect and Responsibility policies?

  Topics: feminism, women, australian-football-league, fashion

• Britain’s Next Top Porn Star

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted February 08, 2011 15:25:48

  Where would you expect to find pictures like this? Oh, just on a regular episode of Britain’s Next Top Model which screened on Fox TV here this week.

  Topics: community-and-society, sexuality, arts-and-entertainment, television, design, fashion

• Who says female corpses aren’t sexy?

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted December 10, 2010 16:03:11 | Updated December 10, 2010 16:03:13

  Kanye West's latest music video takes depictions of gendered violence to disturbing new levels.

  Topics: arts-and-entertainment, hip-hop, sexuality

• Why is Amazon promoting sexual abuse of children?

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted November 12, 2010 15:25:52 | Updated November 12, 2010 17:53:51

  The promotion of sexual abuse of children should be met with zero tolerance. Children's rights to safety outweigh a paedophile defender’s 'right to free speech'.

  Topics: arts-and-entertainment, books-literature

• Because all women must be brought to their knees

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted October 26, 2010 15:12:42 | Updated October 26, 2010 15:12:43

  Zoo magazine's pornification of Mary MacKillop shows they consider no woman exempt from pornographic exploitation in pursuit of profit.

  Topics: religion-and-beliefs, feminism, pornography, person, print-media

• Sexpo and the death of sex

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted October 21, 2010 11:25:00

  Call me fussy. Say I'm hard to please. But if what I witnessed at Sexpo is supposed to promote a healthy, happy sex life, then I think I just saw the death of sex.

  Topics: arts-and-entertainment, events, carnivals-and-festivals, community-and-society, community-and-multicultural-festivals

• Sexism alive and well in Australia Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted September 29, 2010 15:00:00 | Updated September 30, 2010 15:07:20

  Attitudes towards women in our so-called liberated western democracy desperately need an overhaul.

  Topics: community-and-society, human-interest, information-and-communication

• Self love Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted March 18, 2010 06:55:00 | Updated September 29, 2010 12:08:46

  Rock star John Mayer's recent comments regarding pornography highlight a worrying trend amongst young males.

  Topics: community-and-society, human-interest, information-and-communication

• Is this how girls take control of their lives? Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted November 20, 2009 15:30:00 | Updated September 29, 2010 11:58:02

  A mens' magazine cover featuring an 'average' sized woman has been hailed as enlightened and bold and a step forward for female body image. Nothing could be further from the truth, writes Melinda Tankard Reist.

  Topics: arts-and-entertainment, community-and-society, person

• Sticks and stones, pins and needles Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted March 24, 2009 12:30:00 | Updated September 29, 2010 12:02:37

  Our society fails to nurture a culture of support amongst women and girls, writes Melinda Tankard Reist.

  Topics: community-and-society, health

• Incensed about censorship Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted November 27, 2008 16:00:00 | Updated September 29, 2010 12:20:21

  The newly-launched Australian Sex Party is wrong if it thinks Australia needs to relax its censorship laws, writes Melinda Tankard Reist.

  Topics: community-and-society, government-and-politics, information-and-communication, law-crime-and-justice

• Give this ad the boot Opinion

  By Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted March 07, 2008 17:30:00 | Updated September 29, 2010 12:17:22

  So much for International Women's Day, some companies are glamorising violence against women to sell shoes, writes Melinda Tankard Reist.

• Chasing an illusion: young women and magazines Opinion

  Melinda Tankard Reist

  Posted September 12, 2007 08:43:00 | Updated September 12, 2007 14:03:00

  When children develop eating disorders there's something terribly wrong, and the media are a big part of the problem, writes Melinda Tankard Reist. Post a comment.

  Topics: womens-health, media, community-and-society, women, health, eating-disorders, print-media, australia

Site Map