The Anti F-Word Series: #WomenAgainstFeminism

Some of you (aka the dedicated Teamales amongst you) may remember the post I did a month ago about ‘Meninism’ the term for men who oppose gender equality and you may also remember that I said it was a three part exploration so voila. Here is part 2.

I was talking to Science KT- you don’t really need to know her right now but just in case you’re wondering, in the film version of my life she would be the secondary character that accidentally saves the day via cake- about this post and she said antifeminism felt worse when it was a position taken by women, after all, how can you oppose the movement to liberate you? I thought she had a very poignant perspective, one that is shared by many feminists, so it seems only right that we venture onto the #WomenAgainstFeminism Tumblr page and delve into the minds of the unconverted vaginas. Warning: it might get quite sad down there so if you want to watch a YouTube video of a cat nuzzling a baby bunny beforehand I completely understand.

Sisterhood of the World Award

I’m back again with another award- oh come on you could look a little bit more excited. I understand it’s a Monday and unless you’ve got a job with Reed recruitment then everybody hates Mondays but I’m not forgiving you just yet- hopefully this post will make it more bearable. I’ve been nominated for the Sisterhood of the World award by the wonderful Helen of Troy at https://inwhichhelen.wordpress.com/ (p.s. Helen where have you gone please get back to your blog and write more plz) and am super excited about this award because between all the feminism and Daily Mail slamming and carmex applying I haven’t managed to fit anything about books into my blog which is rather tragic as I LAAAVE books.

Have you ever got any author’s signatures? Whose? My biggest claim to fame is a handwritten postcard I got from Jacqueline Wilson in response to some fan mail I sent her in 2011ish about my career dilemma: do I become a writer or a zoo keeper (it’s a tricky one I know). She replied with such sweet advice saying that I could do both and then write animal stories- although she could’ve written my court summons and I would’ve still been over the moon by the fact she replied.

Has a book ever changed the way you feel about something? Before I Go To Sleep made me feel so grateful for being able to remember things and trust the people around me, these are things the main character can’t take for granted. However I’m still a little bit emotional after I found out S J Watson IS A MAN! I’m gutted but the book is an incredible read so he’s forgiven.

Ain’t Nobody Got Time For Plaits

Firstly BREAKING NEWS: Teamales we have a logo! I hope you love it as much as I do, it was designed by the wonderful Courtney Myers and you can click on the image below to be taken to her wonderful world.

Secondly, beauty blogs, vlogs and websites are a common occurrence in internetland and I quite honestly struggle to understand even the simplest ones. I’ve scrolled through thousands of images of beautifully made up girls, but the second I try their tips or recreate their styles I end up looking like an Indian flag doing the colour run. As a female fighting teenagehood this could leave me feeling inadequate but, instead of crying into my pillow to the tune of China In Your Hand, let’s make light of the crazy fashion fads I just don’t have time for.

Waterproof eyeliner: this list is in no particular order but I hate you the most. The one product many women can’t live without is the neighbour I can’t live with (we’ve all got one that plays the wrong music at the wrong volume at the wrong time of the day). It’s not because I envy the perfectly matching cat eye flicks you have or the fact it only took you 3 and a half minutes to do them, I hate the fact I can’t remove it after a cheeky late night practise- I hate the fact the blady thing will not budge- which is probably great if you want it to stay put all day but I do not and therefore have to look like the hybrid of a GBH victim reproducing with a panda. So much for that smokey eye.

Have You Heard The Even Better News?

The photographic memory owners amongst you may remember I had a similarly titled post way back in April (when my only readers were Jesse from twitter and my Mum) discussing the same issue: the Daily Mail. Or the Daily Misogynist, as we should rename it. If you want to take a peak at the part one-esque post it can be found here Have You Heard The News?

However, despite the deep meaningful conversation I had with DM over four months ago, they are continuing to embarrass/degrade/sexualise women via their infamous sidebar of shame which makes me madder than the time I was gyrated on by ‘Jemma-with-a-J’ in the mosh pit of a Lily Allen concert. (Hi Jemma if you’re reading, I still think of you every time I hear It’s not fair.) Here’s one of today’s headlines- or sidelines as they theoretically would be: Now I’m not quite sure who Lucy Meckleneiuekwo is and she doesn’t sound particularly impactful however the journalists at Daily Mail clearly have an eye on her chest…which I find slightly hard to understand because finding her cleavage is proving harder than Where’s Wally.

The Fashionista Award

Now let’s all watch as Jess- the girl who thinks it’s cool to tuck her jeans into her socks- tries to answer a selection of fashion based questions in the least sarcastic way possible. In all seriousness though, thanks to Nessa at https://thatchicfashionblog.wordpress.com/ (who was actually my blog design inspiration) for the nomination and creating the award. That’s one impressive missy right there.

What motivated you to start blogging? I designed my blog about 18 months ago, it was originally called Glitter In A Jar and was going to be about music after my involvement with a songwriting forum, but I never posted anything. Then, in an erratic March decision after reading a book by Caitlin Moran, I randomly changed the name and look of the blog (which let’s be real here, was probably the only interesting thing that actually happened in March) and Half Girl Half Teacup was born. If I’m honest, I think writing this blog and researching the issues I write about is what made me a feminist (we won’t talk about pre-fem Jess, she wasn’t a good egg).

Favourite movies? Beauty and the Beast is my all time favourite, followed by American Beauty. Shoutouts to Avatar, Anastasia and Whiplash though, you all simultaneously break my heart (yes I’m speaking to films as if they’re people).