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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Happy Women's History Month!

264 replies

ArabellaScott · 01/03/2024 11:17

I had no idea women got a whole month!!!

I can't wait to see the flags flying from every government building and all the celebrations of women in history everywhere. 😊

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Barearse · 24/02/2025 16:48

That’ll learn them heathen catholics!

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2025 13:15

Amazing.

https://www.lionheartreplicas.co.uk/Bawdy-Badges.html

'It has recently been suggested by Malcolm Jones that this remarkable badge may in fact be an early proto-protestant attack on the Catholic church. Although very un-Christian to modern minds, processions were held in which a crowned statue of the Virgin Mary surrounded by a rayed mandorla would be paraded through the streets on her feast days. This type of idolatry goddess worship was anathema to the emerging Protestants who themselves held similar mock processions in protest. This early salvo in the war that was to tear the Church apart may well have inspired the creator of this badge. '

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ArabellaScott · 24/02/2025 13:15

Yes, Errol. I've tried to find out what the meaning or reason for these badges was, but so far, most historians seem to be also coming up with WTF.

https://www.wondersandmarvels.com/2012/05/the-vulva-goes-on-pilgrimage.html

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ErrolTheDragon · 24/02/2025 12:44

That's one of the most WTF things I've ever seen.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2025 12:03

Oh. That one may not pass review, tbh 😂

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ArabellaScott · 24/02/2025 12:02

Pic.

Happy Women's History Month!
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ArabellaScott · 24/02/2025 11:59

https://thepilgrimsguide.com/projects/the-medieval-vulva-signs-and-symbols-of-sexuality-in-medieval-pilgrimage/

It's nearly March. So a good time to read about vulvas on medieval pilgrim badges.

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DrSoupDragonsFriend · 28/06/2024 17:23

Thanks for the heads up. I've added Morgan as an author to explore on my ever-expanding tbr list, including her relatively short autobiography which I've found online here https://folk.ntnu.no/krill/morgan/Morgan%202012.pdf.

ArabellaScott · 28/06/2024 15:54

'Women are raising each others’ consciousness every day.'

Elaine Morgan

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ArabellaScott · 28/06/2024 15:52

Thanks, SoupDragon, I have now stumbled on Morgan's most recent book - Pinker's List, which looks fascinating - a response to Steve Pinker's 'Blank Slate'.

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DrSoupDragonsFriend · 28/06/2024 12:16

The Welsh website has been added to since I last looked at it for a work-related project. I was in contact with them a couple of years ago when they were planning the unveiling of the first statue of Betty Campbell in Cardiff and the plans have moved on so much since then. I hope they don’t stop after the five. Although I don't think I could commit to visiting the 128 UK ones, much as I'd love to, I’m tempted, when the last Welsh statue is in place, to plan a trip to visit all five.

All of the women’s stories are amazing: the poem ‘When I speak of bravery’ by Taylor Edmonds about Betty Campbell makes me cry. Cranogwen - qualified master mariner able to captain a ship anywhere in the world, trailblazing bardic poet, teacher, lecturer, campaigner… and did you read the quotes on the pages fluttering away from Elaine Morgan? https://monumentalwelshwomen.com/the-hidden-story Elizabeth Andrews’ - her work in education, welfare and politics, her motto “Educate, Agitate, Organise”, applicable right now to anyone campaigning for women’s rights today. Lady Rhondda’s activism for women’s suffrage and legislation for welfare for women and children, her global leadership in business, her work for the arts...

It makes me so angry that women’s stories have been deemed insignificant, or deliberately ignored or silenced, or just carelessly overlooked and not bothered about because of our sex. The material record is so lacking and, although I think that putting money into statues when money is needed for crucial things like housing and food and welfare, the inspiration from the symbolism of determined, talented, brave women from the past is invaluable. We need heroines. The film of the unveiling of Elaine Morgan’s statue shows a couple of the young school girls from the choir talking about it being an honour to take part and watching that has made me cry again. (Think I’m having a bit of an emotional day today, for other reasons as well as this!)

Monumental Welsh Women

Keeping up to date with the progress for the statues here

https://monumentalwelshwomen.com/the-hidden-story

ArabellaScott · 28/06/2024 10:34

Oh, that is fantastic. I love 'the Descent of Woman'!

Will look into the other women noted.

Shocking, but not surprising that there are no statues of named Welsh women.

‘In the UK, there are 82 statues of men named John and just 128 of named women’.

Here's a lovely project, a woman setting out to visit all of the 128 statues:

https://womenstatuesuk.com/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8ERm24Mw_K/

WomenstatuesUK

A journey of all the historical (non royal) statues in the UK - all 128 of them!

https://womenstatuesuk.com

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DrSoupDragonsFriend · 28/06/2024 09:59

I've done a search and can't see any mention of this website having been mentioned on MN before https://monumentalwelshwomen.com/

'Monumental Welsh Women is a not for profit organisation dedicated to recognising the contribution of women to the history and life of Wales. Until September 2021, there were no statues of real Welsh women in Wales - not one! We are working to change this. Our mission is to erect 5 statues honouring 5 Welsh women in 5 different locations around Wales in 5 years. It's a huge challenge. So far, we have commissioned and unveiled three statues - of Betty Campbell in Cardiff, Elaine Morgan in Mountain Ash and Cranogwen in Llangrannog. We have two more in the pipeline [my note: these are Elizabeth Andrews and Lady Rhondda. Biographies and other information about all of the women are on the website].

In 2016, a group of women working in Cardiff got together to do something about the fact that there was not one single statue in the whole of Wales of a ‘real’ Welsh woman. Despite the amazing contribution of Welsh women to life in Wales, their achievements had not been celebrated in the way that men’s successes often have – by being immortalised, commemorated and celebrated with public statues.

At that first meeting, Monumental Welsh Women was born, with the initial intention of trying to get just one statue of a historical woman erected in Cardiff. At the time, Cardiff was undergoing a dramatic redevelopment around the old bus station. We persuaded Cardiff Council that the area around the new Central Square would be the perfect place for a statue. But not just any statue – the first statue of a historical Welsh woman, an artwork that would be world class, and a city landmark that everyone who visited Cardiff would want their ‘selfie’ in front of.

The next challenge was how to choose the woman to be celebrated. We worked with Women’s Equality Network Wales to draw up a list of 100 Welsh women to celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote in 1918 – 50 contemporary women and 50 historical women, all of whom were celebrated at an event in the Senedd in 2018.

From that list of 50 historical women, we worked with a panel of experts to shortlist 5 women who we thought best illustrated the breadth and depth of the achievements of Welsh women over the centuries. And then, working with the BBC, we put those 5 women to a public vote. The BBC produced and broadcast a series of short films on the lives of the 5 women and asked the public to choose their favourite. The winner was announced in January 2019.

But we then decided that one statue was simply not enough. The public response to the vote was fantastic and many people called for all 5 women to be commemorated. And so we have set ourselves a challenge: to erect 5 statues commemorating the 5 amazing Welsh women on the shortlist, in 5 locations around Wales in just 5 years.'

Monumental Welsh Women

Monumental Welsh Women is a not for profit organisation dedicated to recognising the contribution of welsh women (hidden heroines) to the history and life of Wales

https://monumentalwelshwomen.com

ArabellaScott · 28/06/2024 09:37

MarieDeGournay · 27/06/2024 23:35

Thank you AS, I'm delighted to have this thread updated, I thought our Women's History Month fizzled out a bit..
Let's make it one of those 'months' that seems to happen every time someone with a flag feels like it🙄

I plan to update whenever I find something interesting, and encourage anyone else with an interesting story about women's history to do the same!

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ArabellaScott · 28/06/2024 09:37

SinnerBoy · 28/06/2024 09:35

ArabellaScott · Yesterday 18:03

Behold - Hypatia!

Blimey, what a horrific way to be killed.

Yes, indeed. Not known for their compassion, raging mobs.

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SinnerBoy · 28/06/2024 09:35

ArabellaScott · Yesterday 18:03

Behold - Hypatia!

Blimey, what a horrific way to be killed.

MarieDeGournay · 27/06/2024 23:44

Celebrating the Centennial of Bessie Coleman as the First Licensed African American Woman Pilot | National Air and Space Museum

Bessie Coleman 1892 – 1926 was the first African-American (and part Cherokee) woman to get a pilot's licence.
She learnt to fly in France - echoes of Black Americans like Josephine Baker finding greater freedom in Europe than in the USA of the early 20th century, where it would have been impossible for Bessie Coleman to get flying lessons.

Happy Women's History Month!
MarieDeGournay · 27/06/2024 23:35

Thank you AS, I'm delighted to have this thread updated, I thought our Women's History Month fizzled out a bit..
Let's make it one of those 'months' that seems to happen every time someone with a flag feels like it🙄

ArabellaScott · 27/06/2024 18:03

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hypatia-ancient-alexandrias-great-female-scholar-10942888/

Behold - Hypatia!

One of the foremost scholars of her time, a professor, mathematician, philosopher.

'She was a mathematician and astronomer in her own right, writing commentaries of her own and teaching a succession of students from her home. Letters from one of these students, Synesius, indicate that these lessons included how to design an astrolabe, a kind of portable astronomical calculator that would be used until the 19th century.
Beyond her father’s areas of expertise, Hypatia established herself as a philosopher in what is now known as the Neoplatonic school, a belief system in which everything emanates from the One. (Her student Synesius would become a bishop in the Christian church and incorporate Neoplatonic principles into the doctrine of the Trinity.) Her public lectures were popular and drew crowds.“'

During the decline of Alexandria, and in the context of religious wars between Christians, Jews, and pagans, she was scapegoated by zealots, and quite literally torn to pieces. Pulled from her carriage, she was flayed with oyster shells (which were used for roofing, iirc), her remains were then burned, as was the great library of Alexandria.

On the streets of Alexandria, Egypt, a mob led by Peter the Lector brutally murdered Hypatia, one of the last great thinkers of ancient Alexandria.

Hypatia, Ancient Alexandria’s Great Female Scholar

An avowed paganist in a time of religious strife, Hypatia was also one of the first women to study math, astronomy and philosophy

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hypatia-ancient-alexandrias-great-female-scholar-10942888

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Ofcourseshecan · 05/06/2024 09:00

This is great. I have a long train journey coming up, so I’m saving this to read then. Looking forward to it.

ArabellaScott · 04/06/2024 23:15

https://www.science.org/content/article/graves-celtic-princes-suggest-powerful-role-women-ancient-germany

Not read all.of this yet - Celtic graves suggest a matrinlinear society.

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MarieDeGournay · 02/06/2024 17:44

Amelia Earhart wasn't just a pioneer of aviation, and of aviation as a commercial operation - two separate achievements - but she also designed clothes, like this:

Happy Women's History Month!
MarieDeGournay · 02/06/2024 15:05

Nice to meet you, Arabella Charlotte Scott, what a brave, honourable woman, and a loving sister!
And the admirable inventiveness and persistence of Mary Kenner - just think how better the world would be if all your brilliant ideas had been recognised and realised, not to mention the recognition, praise and financial reward you deserved but never got.

More stories, please, I'm loving this thread😙[that's 'kiss with smiling eyes', allegedly - I don't like this set of emojis😒['unamused']

ArabellaScott · 02/06/2024 14:48

Seeing as we're sharing, here is the criminal record of Arabella Charlotte Scott.

I too was very determined - I suffered greatly but persisted, was arrested, rearrested, force fed so violently my teeth were broken, force fed for months. You can read the frustrations of the authorities, police, and Secretary of State in pursuing and trying to subdue me:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/exhibitions/women-suffrage/hh16-44.html

While in hindsight some of the suffragette acts all often sounds a bit jolly, mischief-stirring and like a lot of japes and hi-jinks, it's hard to think about women tortured in prison. Here is a letter from me to my sister, trying to soothe my family's worries.

Happy Women's History Month!
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ArabellaScott · 02/06/2024 14:42

Fantastic Marie, thank you! I like the thought of making oneself unmarriageable.

And Mary Kenner's quietly determined inventiveness is very moving.

'she believed that anyone could become an inventor as long as they put their mind to it: “Every person is born with a creative mind,” she said. “Everyone has that ability.”'

Absolutely.

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