zusterschap

[zusterschap]

The World of Body Image: Masculinity and Bodybuilding

Several years ago I had a male friend who was starting a ‘health kick.’ He was going to give up all the booze, cigarettes and junk food, and he was going to build a gym in his shed. It sounded like a good idea at first. He managed to kick his habits and he quickly started losing weight, but he didn’t seem to notice (or maybe he did), but it just wasn’t good enough for him. I asked him if he felt…

[zusterschap]

Revolutionary Women: Courtney Love

When describing Courtney Love, “resilient” feels like a huge understatement.

Being a Courtney Love fan can be frustrating at times. As soon as you mention her name, you are immediately met with comments like, “you only know who she is because she’s Kurt Cobain’s wife”, “All her music was written by or, about Kurt”. Wrong, wrong and wrong again. When I saw the Revolutionary Women feature was running here on Zusterschap, I jumped at the opportunity to write about how…

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Angela Carter and her Bloody Chamber

there was a thirst and a void that needed filling, and the clout of her fiction sated me.

Unfortunately, I am unable to recall the exact moment that Angela Carter entered my life; one moment she was not there, the next she was. Perhaps it is a testament to both her work and my need for it that her words slipped in and permeated my psyche so seamlessly; there was a thirst and a void that needed filling, and the clout of her fiction sated me. (more…)

[zusterschap]

Feminist Film School: Anastasia

"After last month’s feminist scrutinising of The Little Mermaid I thought we’d take a look at another gem from my childhood: Anastasia."

After last month’s feminist scrutinising of The Little Mermaid I thought we’d take a look at another gem from my childhood: Anastasia. (more…)

[zusterschap]

Zusterschap's First Birthday!

Guess who turns one today?

Katherine: It’s been a year since Tara and I started this site together, and I think it’s blown up far more than either of us could have ever imagined. We’ve been shortlisted for awards, Tara hit the headlines with her Beach Body Ready protest and I’ve got a job off the back of learning how to run the social media for the site. I still find it hard to believe sometimes, and when people…

[zusterschap]

Revolutionary Women: Adrienne Shelly

“I was addicted to saying things and having them matter to someone.”

“I was addicted to saying things and having them matter to someone.”
- Jenna in Waitress If I had to come up with a summary of Adrienne Shelly’s career, it would be that line. She wrote it for a waitress in a small southern town who had finally met a man worth talking to. She wrote it for a character who was formerly sad, pushed down, overlooked, and trapped. She wrote it for women who are fed up…

[zusterschap]

Revolutionary Women: Luisa Capetillo & A Pair Of Trousers

She campaigned for the first minimum wage laws....and she wore trousers.

I have a bow tie collection that I keep in a suitcase under my bed. On the nights I don’t mind controversy, I iron a white shirt and choose the least offensive; a black sequin number. I’ll still be referred to as ‘Coco the Clown’ in the pub all night and asked: “What’s the bow tie for?” When you’re a woman in a rural village, a ball gag would invite fewer questions than clothing traditionally…

[zusterschap]

Kat Stratford Made Me The Feminist I Am Today

Kat Stratford Made Me The Feminist I Am Today

Growing up I knew I needed something, I just didn’t know it was feminism. As a teen, I was angry at the world. Angsty was inadvertently my aesthetic, and in some ways it still is. I felt constrained. I was angry at the girls who were relentlessly mean to me, I was angry at horrible entitled boys, I was angry at my parents when they were just trying to help. I was just plain angry. I felt…

[zusterschap]

Frida Kahlo: My Beautiful Revolution

Frida Kahlo has been my muse since I first learned of her existence when I was at secondary school.

When I heard this month’s theme at Zusterschap was Revolutionary Women, I knew there was only one person for me to write about. Frida Kahlo has been my muse since I first learned of her existence when I was at secondary school. Best known for her brutally honest and often remarkably painful self portraits, Frida Kahlo was an artist who found a voice and solace in her paintings for the many…

[zusterschap]

Dissecting The Sexism Behind Kim K's Naked Photo Reactions

"Have we not all done the same thing in one way or another?"

Last week, Kim Kardashian West managed to break the internet yet again when she shared a throwback nude mirror selfie on her Instagram. Naturally, her full frontal display, although somewhat censored, has sparked mass debate online; targeting Kim as a mother, a 35 year old woman and her success as a business woman. With this in mind, I thought I’d take the opportunity to breakdown my thoughts on…

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Two Months Without Alcohol - Am I Still Me?

I didn’t numb my feelings for something as huge as this, and if there was ever a time I was going to break my sobriety, that would have been it.

Katherine visits a pub. Katherine craves alcohol to deal with rejection. Katherine generally stops thinking about alcohol so much. Katherine starts referring to herself in the third person. She stops that immediately.  (more…)

[zusterschap]

"Katherine is evolving… into KatherineBeta – the less of a dickhead, more confident and self-assured version. (+50HP)" I don't know if you know, but I'm a feminist, and damn proud of it (hence y'know, this whole website).

[zusterschap]

My Relationship With Metal Music As A Female Fan

"Sometimes, usually within the metal community, I meet people who will completely reject me as a metal fan because I’m a girl."

To say that music has had a big impact on my life would be an understatement, but when I was asked to write this feature I was a little taken aback. How could I possibly explain my relationship with music? Music is everything to me. To go into the history of this would probably end up being a 10,000-word essay, so instead I’m going to focus on what it’s like being a female metal head and my…

[zusterschap]

Our Relationships With Body Modification

I felt like making a stand and saying I’ve had enough of trying to be what other people wanted me to be.

I had wanted tattoos since I was a teenager, but I didn’t get my first until I was 22.  It wasn’t out of a desire to change my body and twist it into something else; it was originally just because I like how decorated skin looked and wanted that for myself. I didn’t hate my body before and I don’t hate my body now. The moth that I got on the back of my neck opened up a whole new world…

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Dear Future Husband, You're Not The Only Man For Me

I understand that having my own male cheering squad can put a lot of pressure on you. They've set the bar pretty high...

To my future husband, As we take the first step into the next chapter of our life together, I just wanted to clear one thing up. You’re not the only man for me. This may come as a shock but I want to be honest with you. We’ve been through a lot together and there is truly no one else that I would rather marry. In that regard, I am yours – wholly and completely. But there are others that came…

[zusterschap]

The World of Body Image: Boobs!

"Following a recent fad called the Underboob Challenge, I started thinking about breasts..."

Following a recent fad called the Underboob Challenge, I started thinking about breasts. In case you missed it, the challenge involved women putting pens under their boobs, taking pictures and slapping them all over the internet. If the pen stayed under the breast, i.e. hands-free biro holding, then you could rest safe in the knowledge that your femininity was intact. Excuse me whilst I vomit.…

[zusterschap]

My Love Affair With Film

My Love Affair With Film

I used to work at the cinema and when you’re cleaning screens with someone for ten hours in a day, you’d better think of something to talk about. My go-to was asking their top five films, top five TV shows, top five everything (thanks, High Fidelity). So I thought I’d look at my top five films and examine why I find myself so passionate about this medium above all others.  (more…)