ACTIVISM
‘I should have brought a fucking coat’ I muttered as I stepped out of Westminster station and turned towards Downing Street into the #TimesUp rally. Stoically stood outside Theresa May’s humble abode for the next two hours, by the end I was hardly the picture of an empowered woman sticking it to the patriarchy. Instead I looked like a shivering puppy who’d been left outside in the rain. My voice was hoarse from chanting, my hands were chapped and cold. I was not alone. The girl stood to my right, her hands white knuckled a plank of wood, frozen stiff but defiant like the ‘patriarchy sucks’ badges pinned to her lapel.
I didn’t have a sign to hold but my presence contained the message I wanted to send. As a woman who has experienced domestic violence first hand, I have often shied away from conflict. But there comes a moment where silence is more painful than speaking up. There were women in front of me holding signs in all forms. Big, funny, angry, sarcastic, many with witty punchlines, the best of which were ushered to the front for the purpose of the press. I took great pleasure in reading the sharp quips ‘This is a bloody joke’ one read, with sanitary pads dangling from its edges. I absorbed this humour, this energy, this light like a sponge (or should I say a tampon) because when you’re aware of what we’re here to protest, you have to find something to smile about.
The first Women’s March was held on the same day last year, 21st January 2017. The first day of Trump’s presidency. His election was a catalyst, the straw that broke the long suffering 52% of the populations’ back so we formed, and we rallied under a clear mission:
“We believe that Women’s Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Women’s Rights. We must create a society in which women – including Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women – are free and able to care for and nurture their families, however they are formed, in safe and healthy environments free from structural impediments.”
This is not about Trump. This is about us. This is about ending discrimination towards women, ensuring our sisters in Poland, Ireland and other nations have reproductive rights, that ALL women are uplifted and empowered.
Why is it then that we don’t trust women to tell our own story? Why must our protests be dismissed as ‘Trump-bashing’ or ‘attention seeking’? The media loves to write about a villain, to sensationalise a character, but they don’t like to tackle the issue of entrenched cultural misogyny. To dismiss the Women’s March as a superficial movement is the easy thing to do. What’s not easy is to confront the complexity of dismantling a patriarchal society. It’s not easy to collectively admit that this is going to be a hard fight. To accept that this is well and truly unchartered territory, a unified grey area.
This is why the media is so reluctant to tackle it. We women have the vote, we have it good enough already right? The rise of female empowerment is coming at a time when long-form journalism is dying. Without our snappy signs and the association to Trump would the media pay attention? Do they have the capacity to make the nuances of female issues digestible for the culpable masses?
“Our movement isn’t perfect, but it’s here. We work with what we have. We, the minorities, the lowest earners, the emotionally and physically bruised do what we can.”
‘What happens now, you’ve protested, now what?’ in the age of instant technological dopamine hits, the world expects instant gratification and a clear cut perfect performance. The critique on women’s activism is unrelenting. If we only campaigned for one issue, we would be seen as neglecting the other causes. When we campaign for all areas of women’s equality we are criticised for being ineffective and too general. Dismantling a patriarchal civilisation is a general issue is it not? To quote the eminent Roxane Gay “We have this tendency to put visible feminists on a pedestal. We expect them to pose perfectly. When they disappoint us, we gleefully knock them from the very pedestal we put them on.”
Those judging the movement from a voyeuristic high ground of privilege fail to connect with the people behind the issues, or to research beyond their own understanding. Yes, we spoke about Trump, but was also a profound moment where a trans woman, Paris Lees, stood on stage fearing rejection from the crowd but instead was welcomed with applause. Her raw emotion was like a tangible thread of connection running through us all. That is why we were really there.
Our movement isn’t perfect, but it’s here. We work with what we have. We, the minorities, the lowest earners, the emotionally and physically bruised do what we can. We make signs out of cardboard because we can’t donate money to twist the arm of a CEO. We are still mostly excluded from the systems of power to create change, so we have to make our own. Some say it takes seven generations to truly change a cultural behaviour, and to coin a phrase from the march, the thing we are trying to change is the glass ceiling. It starts with a small chip, these chips turn into cracks and then the glass begins to shatter. The Women’s March was one chip.
How are you making a chip in the ceiling?
This article originally appeared on The Nopebook. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest or drop me an email: jlouisemontgomery@gmail.com
There's a lot of fluff on television. That's a fact. The emergence of reality TV in the last 20 years has seen documentary style work transition from the high brow, to a level of deterioration much lower than many of us will allow our standards to drop. This is why I am adamantly more of a catch up TV kind of gal, only making time for things I think are worth wasting my hours on. More recently this outlook has manifested itself in binge watching niche documentaries and TED Talks (not strictly television, but you know what I mean). Unless I feel that a particular show is going to feed my soul, I have no interest in letting my brain turn idly to mush in front of it.
This outlook was at the forefront of my mind when I sat to interview the powerhouse that is Davina McCall. Her new show, aptly named 'The Davina Hour' is a break away from this 'fast TV' trend that has become so common. To my surprise and delight she openly spoke about her rebellion against this type of superficiality in the media, over a cuppa, of course:
What was the inspiration around The Davina Hour?
I had an idea along time ago, to do a sort of daily talk show. But it kind of morphed into this. I've been on talk shows like This Morning or Loose Women and stuff and I've always really really enjoyed that, but just as you're getting really into something, you change topic and go onto something else. I wanted to go forensic - like really really forensically deep on something. I wanted to get the best minds in an area and bring everybody together and maybe people who are having a tough time and see if we can help. Really at the back of everything I do, I'm always trying to help people. I love this kind of idea of - I don't know, making everything better. It's like a mission! And at the same time, learning bits about myself. Every single show, even the ones I probably thought I know what I'm doing in this area, I'll have a ta-da moment when I'm thinking oh god! Or I watch someone else have a moment and I think wow this is amazing, I'm really enjoying this. It was so exciting.
With all the experts that come onto the show, you must learn things all the time...
Yeah I mean watching somebody that has potentially never had any therapy or hasn't met a councillor or a therapist, and to see them listen to someone and go - oh, oh right, oh my god.
There was a guy we had on the perfectionism episode for example that was so fantastic - he had vitiligo and he was beautiful, but he just didn't see it. And having somebody sit beside you and say wow I've never heard people talk like this, people be honest at this level and just put it all down there on the table for people who are suffering the exact same issues as I am. It's really empowering!
It's like a therapy session but it's not as turgid. We always try to have a bit of fun with it and there's always a test involved in each episode - hilarious! I've never done so many tests in all my life. A stress test, parenting test and a technology test - oh god the technology test was scary. Testing how long I was on the phone for - I was on it for something like 4 hours. I mean it's mostly car journeys and stuff like that because I often get driven place - the moment I'm in a car, I crack out my phone!
In the technology episode, you compare technology addiction to heroine addiction - do you think it's really that bad?
It is, it is. It is because it's a hit of dopamine and I realised from doing the show that it's an actual chemical reaction. Since I've done that programme, I've realised that when I post something on Instagram, I do check in the first hour quite often to see if it's going down well or if it isn't. And that's weird! Since the show, I'm monitoring myself a lot more. And I've also got a bit stricter with the kids. Chester, obviously I'm quite strict with because he's only 10, but my 15 and 13 year old, I've been getting a bit more involved. I really do try to map out family time now where we can all sit down. Obviously meal times are a no technology zone and all kind of stuff but just making sure we have time to do things together - watch that thing called television, do you remember that? Television! Kids just don't get it anymore, and making an appointment to view - I don't know, I can't keep up!
The really big thing for kids is to turn it off an hour before they go to bed. And that is all screens! I don't, but I should. I think that makes a big difference to their sleep patterns and we might all be asleep for 8 hours but we aren't getting the depth of sleep that we need.
Do you give yourself time to go completely offline?
Hmmm I don't take my phone with me to certain places. Like if I take the dogs out for a walk, I leave my phone inside. And I don't have mobile phone reception in our house. And we contemplated getting a booster thing to get us signal, but we said no. So people can't phone me on a mobile, they have to phone me on my landline and most work people don't have me on a landline so that's quite good!
Do you have an open dialogue with your kids about social media and how to use it?
I speak to the kids about social media from the get go but I'm not anti-social media compared to some others. When I was young, I spoke to my friends on the telephone for 2 hours after spending all day with them at school so for my kids to be on social media to their friends for 2 hours a night after seeing them all day isn't weird... It's just what I did, but on a telephone. But I am very uptight about their privacy. They're all private on all of their accounts; no one can just follow them obviously, these are all things I've learned. But once they get to 15, you have to hope that you've done it all really; that you've given them all the tools that they need.
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"Women are the ones who really engage in social media - when we want to sink our teeth into something or when we see a petition that needs signing. I think it's had a really profound effect."
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With social media fuelling our perception of perfection, do you think it's had a negative effect on women?
To be honest I think it's a great place for activism for women. Would say Twitter is the place for activism, particularly for women and for comedy. I think social media is an amazing place to come together, to spread ideas and to spread ideas really quickly. Women are the ones who really engage in social media - when we want to sink our teeth into something or when we see a petition that needs signing. I think it's had a really profound effect.
What's the biggest thing you've learned so far from doing the show?
I've learned that we all want to be better. We're at an age in time where self-improvement seems to be really important for all of us. And this idea that I can have 2 men sitting and talking about perfectionism when 20 years, that would have never happened is really special, and questioning whether we're seeing all these problems like stress because we're talking about them, or if we're making them as a result of talking about them.
It's taught me that I don't know everything, there's always a tonne more to learn and that life should never be a constant state of happiness because that's like flat lining. It's just a boring flat line. Like how your heart monitor goes when you're dead. You can only feel true joy in my opinion when you've known sadness, and to not fear sadness or discomfort or grief because that will make your highs feel even sweeter.
This interview originally appeared on W Channel's Website. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest or drop me an email: jlouisemontgomery@gmail.com
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