When I describe my body type I cheerily say I’m chubby. Well-intentioned friends are soon to rush in, “No you’re not! You’re so pretty!” And while I have zero problems with my friends calling me pretty, I do have a problem with how we’ve been taught to think skinny is a word we’d find if […] More »

Is dissecting a woman’s picture to prove it has been Photoshopped really body positive? Media is a big message transmitter and dictates feelings, philosophies, morals, values—pretty much everything that makes up society rules. No matter how critical the viewer, we are still subjected to ads in subway stations and on buses, on billboards and in […] More »

I get a lot of pretty hateful messages through e-mail and social media. No matter how much time I’ve devoted to educating myself on gender issues—including re-learning and exploring uncomfortable concepts, like my own privileges—there will always be that person who approaches me with the very misogynistic messaging our society is built on (thus already perpetuated […] More »

Just this morning I was reading Lee Maracle’s Ravensong. In it, there’s a part where a 17-year-old indigenous girl wasn’t sure how to tell a white boy she wasn’t interested: “White boys always have a response which is designed to save their pride by assaulting yours.” And then I found Bye Felipe. Started by former […] More »

When the calendar flips to October, shelves are stocked with pink products and pink ribbons are all around. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, tackling the most common cancer, and the second leading cause of death from cancer, among Canadian women, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Companies, like Procter and Gamble (P&G), use this […] More »

Footsteps quicken behind you, a large physical presence gets closer, sending shivers up your spine. You walk faster, they keep up. Then all of a sudden they pass you, or push you slightly out of the way. Maybe you are scared because a scenario like this has ended a more violent way, or maybe this […] More »

So long ago it was proven that women are evil because, duh, uteruses have horns. This week, I am reading An Introduction to Women’s Studies Gender In A Transnational World by Inderpal Grewal and Caren Kaplan for Dr. Kristine Klement’s Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies class at York University. We are focusing on how […] More »

On September 20, United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador and actress Emma Watson, addressed the UN (transcript here) at its New York headquarters about gender equality in association with HeForShe movement. The video went viral, some people got mad, others lauded the message, and then there were the ones who missed the point entirely, focusing on […] More »

September is home to Take Back the Night dates throughout Canada. Some cities, such as St. John’s and Fredericton had theirs this past weekend, and this upcoming week Edmonton, Guelph and others, will host rallies, workshops, and marches. “Take back the night in itself i, one moment where us survivors can all get together and […] More »

High above Toronto inside the Panorama Lounge, a room packed full of women celebrated body diversity at the second annual Body Confidence Canada Awards (BCCA). Co-founders Jill Andrew and Aisha Fairclough, who also run the lifestyle and fashion blog Fat in the City, say the event is meant to celebrate Canadians who actively fight against stereotypes that attempt […] More »

Since the Labour Day weekend new posters have been popping up throughout Toronto. They read messages like “Strength in numbers” and “Entertaining you is not in her job description.” The Toronto IWW Women’s Committee adds their Twitter handle to the posters, inviting questions and thoughts and encouraging dialogue regarding the harassment women face in the […] More »