Blog posts from December 2005
Condom clothes spark debate
by Jess McCabe // 29 December 2005, 09:55
Brazilian artist Adriana Bertini makes elaborate dresses and trouser suits out of condoms to show they are everyday objects and promote their use to prevent HIV/Aids. The UN runs an interview with her, as she takes her exhibit to Senegal...
"Fathers" to be tagged for failing to pay child support
by Jess McCabe // 26 December 2005, 22:01
Parents who fail to pay child support could be tagged if plans under consideration by the Government go ahead, the Independent reports. In addition, existing penalties - such as confiscating driving licenses - would be used more often. The rationale...
Struggling to find the Christmas spirit after Katrina
by Jess McCabe // 25 December 2005, 12:22
Merry Christmas/Yule/Winter Solstice, blog readers! Women's eNews posts a Christmas story about Katrina-survivor Michelle Castillo and her family's struggle to get settled into a new life in Florida. As her family tuck into a traditional Christmas meal of "gumbo, collard...
Business lobby withdraws support for more maternity leave
by Jess McCabe // 23 December 2005, 21:43
The CBI, a powerful business lobby group, has written to the Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson to withdraw its support for Government plans to extend maternity leave and paid paternity leave. Why? Because the Government will not take back...
Women Blamed for Tsunami
by Louise Livesey // 22 December 2005, 09:34
In the desire to make sense of last year's tsunami Sharia clerics are blaming women and clamping down on perceived "sin". The Times reported on the creation of a "Control Team" who's job is to hunt out inappropriate behaviour amongst...
Met Police continue drive against Domestic Violence
by Lynne Miles // 21 December 2005, 11:33
I was pleased to see the new campaign against domestic violence on the tube this morning. The police have been proactive on this issue during 2005, and this new campaign shows that they continue to take the issue seriously. The...
Fat is a Feminist Issue Redux
by Jess McCabe // 20 December 2005, 13:54
Following on nicely from yesterday's post, today's Guardian runs the revised forward to the latest addition of a mighty tome I must admit to never having read - Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach. Her forward nicely brings...
Retouching expose
by Jess McCabe // 19 December 2005, 18:52
Everyone knows that magazines retouch their models. But that knowledge does not necessarily translate into a blase attitude to body image. So projects like this - which reveals exactly how much retouching goes into a cover girl photo - can...
Geisha Chic?
by Jess McCabe // 18 December 2005, 17:38
Next month sees the film adaptation of "Memoirs of a Geisha" open in the UK. You might of noticed, seeing as the tube is plastered with posters. Not to be disuaded by the fact the film was mostly shot on...
Women of the Year
by Jess McCabe // 16 December 2005, 12:30
The Guardian today publishes its list of women of the year \x96 The top award goes to the McCartney sisters, but the honorably mentioned takes in a wide range of women from across the spectrum. Jane Shepherdson who helped make...
Game aims to teach girls sexual pleasure
by Jess McCabe // 8 December 2005, 22:47
At a time when it is still contraversial to run articles about the vagina in magazines aimed at teenage girls, Heather Kelley's latest game idea is unlikely to hit the shops for real. But, boy, it would be good if...
KFC Bullying Case
by Barbara Felix // 7 December 2005, 17:31
Just another tragic and avoidable example, which illustrates why we need stronger anti-bullying and stronger complaints procedures in workplaces throughout this country. I actually saw a report on this case on the local news last night and the girl in...
Calamity Jane
by Jess McCabe // 6 December 2005, 22:02
The myth of Calamity Jane has been re-ignited of late by Deadwood, the US tv series based on the historical 'Wild West' town of the same name. And the closest tv has ever got to Shakespeare in terms of dialogue...
'Chastity Belt' to prevent rape??
by Jess McCabe // 6 December 2005, 15:18
First came the anti-rape condom, which - in case of rape - will trap the assailant's penis on "sharp barbs". Now comes the anti-rape chastity belt. It has been designed by a 19 year old Swedish girl, Nadja Bjoerk. She...
The REAL hot 100
by Jess McCabe // 5 December 2005, 23:12
This is a great idea: sick of all those lists of the 'sexiest' women? Well, someone got really sick of it and has set up an alternative. "The REAL hot 100 are young women who are smart, savvy, and actively...
Gay Rights Milestone
by Jess McCabe // 5 December 2005, 13:00
Today gay and lesbian couples can register for civil partnerships for the first time in the UK \x96 although the ceremonies will only begin to take place in two weeks time, just before Christmas. This long-awaited milestone will effectively give...
Sex-Ed should be compulsory, says report
by Jess McCabe // 4 December 2005, 11:44
Sex-ed classes should be compulsary from the age of five, according details of a leaked report published in today's Observer. "A joint report from the Government's independent advisors on sexual health and teenage pregnancy recommends that detailed knowledge about sex...
Anti-choice radicals the "baby daddies of the spiritual world"
by Jess McCabe // 2 December 2005, 16:29
An unusually elequant summing up of the anti-choice movement in America as the " baby daddies of the spiritual world: full of promised love for the abstraction, and nowhere to be found when the kid shows up" from Steve Almond...
3 Days of Activism in One: domestic violence, women in prison
by Jess McCabe // 2 December 2005, 16:01
A few days of activism in one, I'm afraid, as I've been a bit remiss in updating! Women in Prison (WIP) is a charitable organisation dedicated to making a difference to women facing prison, to those in custody and to...
One in ten men now pay for sex
by Catherine Redfern // 1 December 2005, 12:51
The BBC reports that "twice as many men" now pay for sex than did ten years ago. "Surveys of 11,000 British adults in 1990 and 2000 found the rate increased from one in 20 to nearly one in 10 men."...
Teen zines and the politics of clean
by Jess McCabe // 1 December 2005, 12:41
US teen magazine Seventeen has got in trouble for a frank article on the vagina. It's author, Jennifer Howze, tells the Guardian about writing the article and the subsequent furore when one supermarket chain pulled the issue from its shelves....
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
