Get through this odd summer break by reading, listening and watching these Gender Equality gems!
It is summer, the sun is out (albeit not a lot when you live around Brussels), the days are longer, work is a little lighter, and you feel like escaping on an adventure! However, a global pandemic is kind of getting in the way of your aspirations…
Still, we thought we could provide you with some great recommendations to get you through this period and even find yourself on the other side more educated on Gender Equality than ever!
So buckle up, the trip might not take you further than your garden, but it will be an exciting ride nonetheless.
Things to read, and get your feminist fire burning
- Books
We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This book is an essay about what feminism is really about (a feminism that is intersectional and inclusive) and why every woman (everyone) should be a feminist.
Women Don't Owe You Pretty, by Florence Given
This book is an accessible introduction to feminism and its implications in concrete aspects of our lives, it explores many themes with a feminist/empowering lens, such as: beauty standards, relationships, queerness…etc.
Bad Feminist, by Roxane Gay
This book is an amazing commentary on our society and our culture and how it influences our perspectives. This book is also the story of Roxane Gay herself and of her evolution as a feminist and a queer woman of colour.
Beyond the Gender Binary, by Alok V Menon
This book will make you question the gender social construct and will educate you about non-binary people and gender non-conforming people. Alok is a gender-nonconforming artist and an activist.
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
This graphic novel is the eye opening, inspiring, emotional, and hilarious at times, story of Marjane, who grew up in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution and then went to live in Europe.
The Handmaid Tale, by Margaret Atwood
This book tells the story of a woman in a very dark dystopia in which women are stripped of their autonomy and the control of their own bodies in a future where infertility has become a problem.
- Blogs
“Bitch looks at the media and its products through a lens that takes into account the historical and cultural representation of gender in pop culture. Bitch aims to put a lucid, balanced face on feminism for all kinds of folks, including people who aren’t really aware that feminism refers to more than women who don’t want to shave their legs, or simply getting more women into positions of power.”
“The Body Is Not An Apology is an international movement committed to cultivating global Radical Self Love and Body Empowerment. Through information dissemination, personal and social transformation projects and community building, The Body is Not An Apology fosters global, radical, unapologetic self-love which translates to radical human love and action in service toward a more just, equitable and compassionate world.”
The Young Feminist Europe Blog
“Young Feminist Europe is an open platform that aims to amplify young feminist voices and activities across Europe.” Their blog is full of interesting articles on different feminist issues from the perspective of activists and advocates.
PLUS of course our great Gender ABC blog and educational modules
Things to watch to feel empowered, inspired, laugh and cry a little
- Movies
Little Women
A retelling of the classic literature novel with a more modern (and even more feminist) spin.
The Color Purple
A classic of American cinema, the Color Purple is an adaptation of a novel by the same name. It tells the story and hardships of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900s.
Persepolis