‘I think a bullet might hurt a little bit less than this loneliness’: The Instagram fad normalising suicidal yearnings as fashionable
‘The glamorising and approval of teen girl audiences of the captioned desire to depart from life is surely one of the most dangerous digital conversations unfolding today’ These postings provide a snapshot of the Instagram dialogue trending amongst Australian adolescent girls. It is a virtual battleground of life and death on the popular image-sharing […]
Growing Up in Pornland: Girls Have Had It with Porn Conditioned Boys
“[I want] better education regarding sex for both boys and girls [and] information about pornography, and the way it influences harmful sexual practices.” These are the words of Lucy, aged 15, one of 600 young Australian women and girls who took part in a just-released survey commissioned by Plan Australia and Our Watch. The survey, conducted […]
Chemist Warehouse forced to remove ‘virgin’ sex toy
Company slammed for aiding sexual fantasies for young girls On Tuesday night, young Melbourne supporter (and kayaking buddy) Verity Thompson sent me a link through Facebook messenger, to the website of Chemist Warehouse, which featured a disembodied ‘virgin pussy’ – a replica vagina of a young girl with ‘realistic hymen’ just waiting for a man […]
Pole dancing for girls: how a sex industry practice puts them at risk
‘We are enrolling them into a billion-dollar global industry that objectifies, oppresses and conditions women to believe they are created for sex’ Jemma Nicoll The studio is dim. Neon lights flash around the room in a club-esque fashion. A swarm of what appears to be 6-year-old girls climb, twist and twirl around the floor-to-ceiling iconic […]
As long as he gets off….young women’s experiences of sex
I’m quoted in this article by Kasey Edwards in Daily Life today: …This is symptomatic of a broader attitude where sex is regarded as solely about male pleasure and male desires. The man decides and the woman provides. Women having sex for their own pleasure is rarely portrayed in popular culture, porn or even sex […]
What no one wants to talk about: how girl’s bodies are injured by porn using boys
How online porn is warping the behaviour of boys with girls When Big Porn Inc: Exposing the harms of the global pornography industry first came out, people would tell me they would read a chapter, then take a break, then read another chapter. Others would say they were too shocked to finish it. It was too […]
When did you first notice men were looking at you in a sexual way?
The Reddit question no one should ignore Kasey Edwards Thousands of women have shared stories of the first time they were targeted sexually by men, with some saying they were as young as eight years old. The women were responding to a question posted on the popular social networking and news site Reddit which asked ‘Women […]
New body image and eating disorders program for girls launched in Canberra today
Young women make short films to address youth concerns about body image. Local young women launch new ABC body image program for Mental Illness Education ACT at the National Gallery of Australia, Monday 7th April, 10.30am to 12.00pm. Young filmmaker Mary Quinlan and ACT’s Youth Ambassador, Molly Hodge-Meli together cut the ribbon to officially launch […]
The Princess saves the Knight: MTR on Channel 10 Wake Up
The Princess saves the Knight? Aussie kids’ gender stereotypes in 2014 Click on image below to watch video clip.
Pregnant and punished: Dolly and teen pregnancy
‘What it’s really like to be a teen mum’ starts off: ‘Babies might seem cute, but having one of your own is no joke’. Is anyone really saying having a baby is a joke? Do girls really think it’s a bit of a laugh to be pregnant in a culture where they will be punished […]
One generation of educated girls is a revolution
It felt like I had arrived at a wedding. The girls were dressed like brides. Their hair was immaculate. Their necks were bedecked with jewellery. Happy chatter filled the air as they awaited the biggest event of their lives so far. These were slum girls, Dalits, on the lowest rung of India’s class ladder. Their […]
MTR and Dr Emma Rush discuss sexualisation of children on ABC Nightline
Dr Emma Rush and I were guests on the ABC Nightline program hosted by Tony Delroy last night. You can listen here: abctonydelroy