Wesley College interview with MTR on engaging young people in cultural change

Melinda Tankard Reist – a movement defined by acts of daring Melinda Tankard Reist is an author, speaker, media commentator, blogger and advocate for women and girls. She is best known for her work addressing sexualisation, objectification, harms of pornography, sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence against women. She is the co-founder of grassroots campaigning movement […]

What are we teaching boys about women when soccer clubs fundraise like this?

The Para Hills West Soccer Club in Adelaide seems to have missed the memo. By Coralie Alison With a new focus on objectification of women, abuse, violence, sexism and misogyny, Para Hills West decides not only to host a ‘Men’s Night’ fundraiser – but advertise it at the club for all the junior boys to […]

50 Shades of Grey damages young men too: and other great commentary by men

I wonder if men like Jackson Katz and Jonah Mix and Chris Hedges (mentioned in this piece by Meghan Murphy and by me in this post on ABC Lateline and ‘sex work’  know what it means to women to have them speak so strongly and unequivocally – and often condemned for doing so- on issues […]

Teen girl takes life after boys share image of her graffitied and defaced body

Sexting, Shame and Suicide: a shocking story of sexual assault in the digital age This essay  was published last September but I’ve only just come across it. I keep thinking of Audrie and her body defaced and graffitied, the images shared and consumed. Her waking in horror to discover the markings all over her body […]

Girlfriend: hot boys and recycling gender stereotypes

Girlfriend’s November issue is about boys. Sort of. It’s more about ‘hot’ celeb boys and recycling gender stereotypes. What do girl readers learn about the opposite sex? That they are, disgusting, fart, pee standing up and aren’t just “good for pashing”, they can also be “quite useful” (“they can fix all the things you accidently […]

Gail Dines: how the hardcore porn industry is ruining young men’s lives

It rakes in billions, exploits women, and leaves men disgusted with themselves. A few years ago at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, the biggest porn convention in the United States, Abbywinters.com, an Australian porn company, had one of the largest booths. It bills itself as offering “real, passionate, unscripted” sexual activity by “happy, […]

How we are screwing up boys with violence, porn, drugs and alcohol

What’s happening to our boys?: Maggie Hamilton’s new book When I first began turning my attention to the sexualisation of girls in the media and popular culture, a book that significantly echoed my own thoughts was What’s happening to our girls: Too much too soon, how our kids are overstimulated, oversold and oversexed (Penguin, 2008) […]