The intimate documentary follows the life of Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States. It shows the behind-the-scenes of her personal life, goals and connections with other people.
Cable Girls (2017)
Cable Girls is a Spanish period television series that follows the lives of four young women who work for a telephone company, in 1920 Madrid. It celebrates a movement towards change and gender equality, as the women gain independence and their own source of income.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
The 2000 film is based on the true story of a woman who works as a legal assistant, who shortly discovers a power company is poisoning a city’s water supply. She then becomes instrumental in helping to win the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit.
Feminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)
The 2018 documentary focuses on the stories of various women who feature in a 1977 book of photographs, that capture cultural restrictions they faced throughout their childhoods. The documentary also focuses on the present day, and emphasises the need for there to be constant change and evolution towards equality. It focuses on important matters relating to: identity, abortion, race and motherhood.
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé (2018)
Written, directed and produced by Beyoncé herself, the documentary captures her 2018 Coachella performance. It offers a personal insight into Beyoncé’s work and creativity that goes into making her visions become iconic performances.
Period. End of Sentence. (2020)
The documentary focuses on a group of Indian women who fought for better access to sanitary products, who then started to manufacture their own. The documentary also stresses that the stigma attached to menstruation needs to be axed once and for all, as well as highlighting how important it is for men to be allies relating to the issue.
RBG (2018)
RBG is an American documentary focusing on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Supreme Court of the United States Associate Justice. The documentary explores how her early legal battles changed the world for women.
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
The biographical documentary film is based on the life of legendary singer and activist Nina Simone, and explores how depression, abuse and stardom shaped her to become the woman she became.
Words by Megan Wraight
Graphics by Dee Jobanputra
]]>In 1800, a law was passed in Paris banning women from wearing trousers without a permit. A 6-month permit could be given to women by their doctor.
Female author, George Sand, wore trousers illegally without a doctor’s permit.
"George Sand cannot determine whether she is male or female. I entertain a high regard for all my colleagues, but it is not my place to decide whether she is my sister or my brother." -Victor Hugo
In her magazine, Bloomer suggested a change to a more comfortable way of dress for women. The Bloomer Suit.
The contoversial suggestion was ridiculed by the conservative public. Bloomer herself stopped wearing the outfit after being ridiculed for it.
Bloomer carried on fighting for women’s rights becoming the president of the Suffragette party for Iowa, USA
Post Second World War, Coco Chanel was a pioneer for women’s trousers.
Chanel created clothing that was practical for her lifestyle. Chanel’s yachting trousers were stylish and practical. The trousers got their name because Chanel wore them to the beach or on boats as a practical, lightweight cover-up.
Yves Saint Laurent designed the first suit for women in the 60’s. The smoking suit was a black tailored tuxedo worn with a white shirt.
Initially the response to the suit was mixed, Nan Kemper was turned away from Le Cote Basque in New York. Kemper simply took off the trousers and wore her blazer as a dress.
The smoking suit shot to popularity in the 70’s when Bianca Jagger adopted the style. At her wedding to Mick Jagger in 1971 she wore a white suit.
In the 80’s, Attorney Ana Irma Rivera Lassén was refused entry to court because she was wearing trousers rather than a skirt or dress.
The attorney went on to sue the Judge who denied her entry to court, and won.
Rivera Lassén was the first black woman to have led the Bar Association of Puerto Rico.
"I always said: ‘I am what I am and I will never cease to be what I am." -Ana Irma Rivera Lassén
Adams agreed to do Strictly Come Dancing 2020 on the condition that she would not wear a dress on the BBC show. Adams felt it would be unatural for her.
The other condition of the Olympic gold medalist was that she danced with another woman. Making them the first same sex couple on strictly.
Here at West Carolina, we are a team of women, and there is one thing that always keeps us going - Girl Power. We are motivated in empowering ourselves, others, and our customers.
Today our team speaks about the women that inspire them, how they incorporate girl power into their everyday lives, and more!
What woman/feminist/female-identifying figure inspires you and why?
My grandmother. She was a very strong woman. Her dad passed away when she was young and she was a single mother so she had to make big decisions on her own, while other women in her time would get more help from men. She was ahead of her time. One of the 1st women to start driving in our town and one of the 1st to own a computer.
How have the women that inspired you changed your worldview?
My grandmother inspired me to become a fashion designer. She was an embroidery artist and teacher and she loved to dress up. She always looked impeccable.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way you approach work?
My grandma owned a homeware/ gift shop and I grew up watching her work a few jobs - like teaching courses and workshops and running the shop. She encouraged me to study and to strive to become the best in what I do. She was an early riser, very disciplined and she also worked on the weekends. She was a perfectionist and she worked on her craft every single day. Her hand embroidery work was so perfect. It looked humanly impossible to make.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way you approach work?
I run a company with a female-only team. I have an internship program focused on education and human potential. In this case, female potential. I like to show them that they're capable of doing things that they couldn't imagine. It's amazing to see the transformation when they finish the internship, way more confident. I came from a very tough university where teachers are used to tearing people down and criticize students a lot. You're told your work is never good enough until you graduate. It's important to have that kind of feedback so you can toughen up and it pushes you to become better. But it's also important to have someone in the industry telling you that you're good enough. I remember when I was an intern myself and I discovered that my work was good and it actually had space in the real world, outside my university bubble. My goal as a boss is to show girls how great they can be.
What woman/feminist/female-identifying figure inspires you and why?
My sister, Claire. She qualified as a doctor last year despite several obstacles that were thrown her way. Over the last few months she, like thousands of other NHS workers has been on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic. Throughout it all, she has stayed very humble and taken it all in her stride without complaining.
How have the women that inspired you changed your worldview?
Claire has taught me that in the face of adversity it is still possible to do anything you put your mind to. In a world that is full of stereotypes and stigma against female professionals, we should aspire to defy the odds.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way you approach work?
I have learnt that we should never be shy about showing off the work that we do/create. We should be proud of ourselves.
How do you incorporate girl power into your everyday life?
I surround myself with the positive thoughts and attitudes of other like-minded women. Whether that is physically, or through social media followings.
What women inspire you?
Maya Angelou and Roxanne Gay.
How has the woman that inspired you changed your worldview?
Maya Angelou inspired me to fight for what I believe while being compassionate and loving. Roxane Gay opened my eyes to the world of feminism and why we need it.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way you approach work?
I think both of them made me more confident in my work by teaching me that failure can lead to greater success.
How do you incorporate girl power into your everyday life?
I think right I am incorporating it by speaking up for myself more often.
What women inspire you and why?
So many women inspire me! There’s Sinead Harnett, who has an amazing voice and is such a goddess! Cartia Mallan, who is spiritual and has a really out-there style, she inspires me to travel. The influencer Chessie King has such a fun personality and is amazing when she talks about body confidence. Stacey Dooley inspires me through the interesting documentaries that she makes. I love Jorja Smith - I think she’s an amazing singer and her lyrics are so powerful. Lastly, Grace Beverly, who runs three of her own businesses, has a degree from Oxford and is an all-around inspirational businesswoman.
How do you incorporate girl power into your everyday life?
By trying to love my body no matter what it looks like. I also make an effort to be conscious of my own inner misogyny and challenge it, for example by avoiding gossiping about other girls. I also try and push myself by getting out of my comfort zone and being bold.
What woman inspires you and why?
I don't really have someone specific but what inspires me the most are the women who have the courage to fight for our rights. The women who support one another and help each other to achieve what they want in life. The women who inspire us every day to do better. All the women who speak up for us!
How have the women that inspired you changed your worldview?
They have mostly made me feel confident about myself, and see the world as you should not worry what others think.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way that you approach work?
Be more confident, speak up when something is not right. Use my voice for better, always find solutions, and be thankful for whatever comes your way.
How do you incorporate girl power into your everyday life?
Support my friends on social media and in private.
What woman inspires you and why?
Taylor Swift. I find the way that Taylor has carved out space for herself in the music industry, having one of the most successful careers of all time, in spite of a tirade of sexist abuse from her male counterparts and the press, completely inspiring. There are very few things in this life that I am certain of, but one is that whenever I listen to her music, life feels a bit more manageable.
How have the women that inspired you changed your worldview?
They have shown me that anything is possible. In spite of what the world may think of you, and how people may try and tear you down, if you believe in yourself, you can do anything.
How have the women that inspired you changed the way that you approach work?
They have encouraged me to be confident, believe in myself, and most importantly to use my voice and speak up about what I think and feel.
How do you incorporate girl power into your everyday life?
By not being afraid to speak up, supporting my girlfriends, and calling out injustice whenever I see it.
Words by Marnie Rose McFall
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A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf
“I would venture to guess that Anon who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman”.
There is perhaps no more important feminist text, than A Room of One’s Own.
One of the most significant writers of the 20th c, Woolf fearlessly explains the marginalization of women in private and public spaces.
In A Room of One’s Own, Woolf taught us how to ask to be listened to, how to demand space, and how to empower ourselves.
All The F*ing Mistakes: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life - Gigi Engle
Sexologist Gigi Engle’s book is an essential guide to womanhood.
With chapters titled “Living Your Sexy AF Life”, “Stop Taking Other People’s Sh*t” and “STIs and the Real Sh*t You Need To Know”, from diseases to sex toys.
Engle tells you everything you need to know about life that your mum never tells you.
Fight Like a Girl - Clementine Ford
Female rage. The birth of a feminist. Hating Men. #Metoo.
In ‘Fight Like a Girl’, Clementine Ford covers every issue that is of importance to young feminists today.
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty - Florence Given
Given’s book is a modern feminist manifesto.
Fearless, empowering, and incredibly relevant.
Given’s book is essential reading for every woman out there.
As women, we’ve all been sold the lie of perfection.
The perfect woman, the perfect girlfriend, and, the perfect feminist.
‘Bad Feminist’ debunks myths about feminism as it delves through the zeitgeist, unpacking cultural moments and explaining internalized sexism and patriarchy.
These essays are an essential articulation of what it means to be a feminist, and indeed a woman, in the modern world.
Taddeo’s book accounts female pleasure in a way that is honest, real, and has completely never been done before.
For so long, female sexuality has been ignored in public spheres, but Taddeo delves deep into the intricacies of female desire.
Telling the stories we have long been dying to hear, but no one has been brave enough to say out loud before.
Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton
Alderton’s book is a love story of female friendship. It’s no wonder that the book and Alderton herself, have garnered bible-esque significance for young women today.
The book is a rallying cry that there is more to life than romantic love and that in our female friendships we find love.
“It’s work I’d advise most young women not to be bothered with, in the knowledge that young women not to be bothered with, in the knowledge that their human value is not and never will be contingent on being someone’s girlfriend.
It's just not worth it.
We have to get on with saving the world, after all, and we can’t do it one man at a time”, writes Penny, in the chapter, Love and Other Chores.
In 2015 we were all talking about Chanel Miller.
We just didn’t know her name. We knew her as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with her letter after her rapist - Brock Turner - was sentenced to just six months in prison. In her book, Miller reclaims her voice and her identity.
Her book is one of strength, vulnerability, and kindness that is completely overwhelming, as much as it is seminal.
Miller writes about pain with humor and resilience in a way that makes it both an instant classic, and tells the truth of being a survivor.
“To know love we have to tell the truth to ourselves and to others”, write Hooks, in ‘All About Love’.
Her writing is inspiring and enlightening, provoking necessary debates and conversations about feminism, love, and the patriarchy.
I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron
No one writes like Nora Ephron.
Her collections of essays, ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’, tells truths about womanhood that are completely unparalleled in modern literature.
The Falconer is like a literary cousin of The Catcher in the Rye, if Holden Caulfield was a badass Jewish Italian basketball-playing 17-year-old girl.
A unique and fiery coming of age story.
The Falconer is beautiful and addictive.
Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie is without question, one of the most talented and important writers today.
Americanah is an original, addictive, and fascinating story, telling both the experience of racism in America and of a young woman finding herself.
Americanah shows someone able to carve out space for themselves in a world where everything seems against them.
Aphra Behn was the kind of woman even the most ingenious fiction writer could not craft.
The first-ever woman to be paid for her writing, and a spy for the king, Aphra Behn is an icon, and women today owe her more than we realize.
The Rover was first published in 1677, and in spite of the years that have passed since Behn first wrote it, it is completely timeless.
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Atwood’s seminal novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is one of the most famous books of all time.
First released in 1985, Atwood’s feminist dystopian novel reached unprecedented levels of popularity after the election of Donald Trump, when the fictional land of Gilead started to feel a little less fictional.
Sweetbitter - Stephanie Danler
To me, ‘Sweetbitter’ goes out to every girl who has ever felt confused, lost, or stupid. It tells the story of Tess, 22 who is working in a New York restaurant.
It is a coming of age story that is relatable as it is heartbreaking and overwhelming.
Men Explain Things to Me - Rebecca Solnit
Solnit’s book is the best example of feminist writing - it makes you angry, and it inspires you to fight for change.
Ranging from marriage equality, mansplaining, and rape culture.
Solnit tackles some of the biggest issues for women today, and the result is a book that is equal parts rage, hope, and beauty.
Words by Marni Rose McFall
Illustration - Frankie Stevens
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