The year of slut-shaming, creepshots, Malala and more
Adele was cut short. Donna Summer left us. We learned about the Red Room of Pain and Naomi Wolf’s orgasms. We look back on 12 months of women in the news
A is for Adele. In February the singer gave the finger to Brit Awards’ organisers who disrespectfully cut her acceptance speech short. “It was like the music industry’s attitude to women played out as a metaphor,” tweeted Lily Allen.
B is for “Binders full of women”. What Mitt Romney said he was given as governor when he asked for lists of qualified women for his cabinet. Tumblr-loving ladies were soon photographing themselves bound between giant sheets of cardboard almost as wooden as Romney himself.
B is also for Bikini.Writer-filmmaker Nora Ephron, who died in June aged 71, was unequivocal: “Oh how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was 26. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don’t take it off until you’re 34.”
Not long to go now.
C is for Creepshots.Also known as “revenge porn”, creepshots are stalker-style photographs taken and/or distributed without consent by upskirt-loving predators. All the rage in 2012, a particularly nasty creepshots forum on the site Reddit was banned in October.
D is for Dowager Countess.In February, Downton Abbey’s Cousin Violet (Maggie Smith) was praised in a BBC-commissioned ageism report for ranking among a select group of “strong characters who did not seem to deteriorate as they aged”. What would the countess say? Probably something like this: “At my age, one must ration one’s excitement.”
E is for @EverydaySexism.The Twitter account of the year retweets stories from women about casual, “everyday” sexism, from old-school street harassment to even older-school “white with two sugars” workplace culture. They all add up to something far from casual.
F is for Feminist Ryan Gosling.“Hey girl . . . I mean woman.” The internet meme by Danielle Henderson made feminists swoon by imagining the actor as a card-carrying gender deconstructionist. Now available in book form.
G is for Gillard, Julia.The Australian prime minister’s blistering speech on the sexism of opposition leader Tony Abbott comprised the perfect mix of anger and composure and was delivered with style, force and dignity.
A good thing no one saw her stumble a week later when her high heels got stuck in soft grass. It was during a wreath-laying ceremony? Ah.
G also for #GoKatieTaylor.The feelgood Twitter hashtag of the summer. Right hook. Left hook. Gold medal.
H is for Hillary 2016.President Barack Obama had barely secured re-election with the aid of the female vote when the backs were peeled off the bumper stickers promoting a Clinton bid in four years’ time.
