Emma Watson's Speech On Feminism

So a few days ago Emma Watson did an exceptionally brilliant speech on feminism and how it's not just women's problem but men's as well. She sparks up points that are well thought out and provoke deep thinking for both genders. I didn't realise that gender inequality affected men just as much as women in a negative way. She tells us about her childhood and how sexism has affected her throughout her life. I can only predict positive things from this speech and hopefully more men coming forward and sticking up for women because if it wasn't for a woman bringing you into this world and carrying you for 9 months you wouldn't be in this world. 

She isn't just giving this speech for the hell of it she did it to introduce and launch the He for She campaign a campaign in which invites men and boys of the world to sign up and support the ending of inequality that women and girls face every single say. This campaign focuses on male supporters because there are simply not enough men fighting this subject and for it to be heard we need both genders on side. We need to educate men that they are just as important and involved within gender inequality and feminism is a general matter not just for females. People will often think of feminists as being just females simply because the word has fem in it however they couldn't be further from the truth. Let's just clarify the meaning of feminism. Feminism means the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of both sexes, the fact it says both sexes means that feminism isn't just about females it's about everyone. In my opinion men are slightly more involved in sexism because they have the power they should be using that power in a positive way not turning this into a gender war. Feminism is too frequently seen as anti men, man hating or angry women when that is utterly false because feminists are constantly fighting for equal rights and not just saying the negative affects on women but men also. In Emma Watson's speech she continuously refers to the negative impacts on men as well as women, She points out that the biggest killer for men in the UK between 20 and 49 is suicide, the fact men feel they have to be masculine and strong constantly can seriously damage their mental health because they feel they cannot ask for help as it might make them seem weak or vulnerable. Women have the opposite problem where they should be seen this way and simply cannot be seen as strong, independent individuals. 

Emma also points out that it's not about the word Feminism it's about your actions and beliefs that are really important because it's not about gender it's about respect. If you give respect to everyone gender doesn't need to come into this because you are treating everyone as equals. People don't realise how easy it is to be a feminist because they focus too much on the word and the bad reputation it gets from society. 

Emma's speech really struck a cord with me because i never realised until now that it is as much a man's issue as a woman's. We need men to stand up to women because there will always be a female role model who you look up to no matter what. Someone you believe is a strong, brave, compassionate individual who you love to the moon and back. So do this for them, do this for your future daughter who you want nothing but the best for, do this for your Mum who you believe this person is, do this for that friend you care deeply about. Men do this for them because you wouldn't be the person you are today without that female role model. Don't just do this for them but do it for you do it for the male gender and show people that you don't agree with such vile, disgusting behaviour being done by some males. Show compassion and support for females of all ages. 

Some people may say that she's just saying what we've known all along regardless not everyone knows some of the points she had made because i can guarantee that a lot of people didn't acknowledge how serious this problem is until now, especially men. We need someone with the celebrity status that Emma Watson has to speak out and use their power in a positive way which she has demonstrated by becoming a member of the UN, writing and presenting her speech and being a part of such an important, crucial campaign. She is showing what men need to do with their power and asking them to be part of such a positive project. 

I really do admire Emma Watson for being such a brave, respectful, courageous, decent human being, in this speech you can evidently see how hard and how much this means to her by the emotion she puts into every single word she says. She is such a brilliant example for young women and girls in this modern day. I believe we need more people like Emma to speak up and use their power in the right way especially men of today.  

I know i've done so many posts on this subject but it's something i care about deeply. This subject really doesn't get spoken about enough so when someone like Emma speaks up we need to speak about it and educate each other. 

Sexual Assault On Youtube

My main focus in this blog post will be Sam Pepper and his latest disgusting, unacceptable, discriminating, vile video. In this video he sexually assaults random girls on the busy street in public by getting physically close to them and then touching their bums. This is plain and simply illegal and he should be instantly charged for his cruel, insensitive behaviour however because it's meant to be a prank he thinks this is funny and even acceptable, normal behaviour for him to be doing. It's a very short video only showing a few girls he has victimized but we don't know how many girls he did this to in total. The reality is what if some of these girls were 16 or even 14, Sam Pepper could get into even bigger, serious trouble. It wouldn't be just sexual assault but it would be sexually harassing/assaulting girls under age who are extremely vulnerable. He could even be seen as a paedophile. Is extra money for a creator and more fame worth this sordid, filthy, disgusting reputation?

Not only does Sam Pepper evidently finds his behaviour funny and normal he keeps going with the harassment when the victims flinch to get away from Sam and their body language tells Sam they do not accept this behaviour. The first girl that's shown on camera even states that she does not like it but he keeps on laughing and ignores her completely. I have read comments that say "They were laughing, they obviously liked it." however you don't understand that's just a coping mechanism, that's what people do when they're nervous or even scared. They don't want to make a scene in just a public environment that they feel this is the only way they can react. I'm sure the girls he didn't put into his video reacted in a different way such as telling him to fuck off or raising their voices to him because he wouldn't put that into his video because it wouldn't be 'funny' then. Funny being socially acceptable and Sam still having the power.

The things Sam and the people defending this horrific video don't realise is that what if this was your Mum, sister, girlfriend or a female friend or family member you care deeply about that he was sexually assaulting? Would it be funny then? Would you still be defending this behaviour? Ans girls who are defending this video, what if your son that you raised up starting thinking this behaviour was acceptable and taking part in such disgusting pranks, would you be proud of them? Would you accept the fact you raised them up to think that behaviour like this is acceptable? What if they took it further? Such a video can have extremely dangerous, traumatic consequences and it pains me to say that a lot of people think this behaviour is acceptable, men and women.

It didn't just start at this one video, Sam has done a stream of videos linked into harassment or assault of this type such as pressuring girls to make out with him or hand cuffing girls to him, things that may seem harmless at first but have serious consequences that people don't realise. By making this behaviour seem normal it only leads to worse crimes becoming normalized such as rape and sexual violence in general. In these videos Sam treats women as sexual objects to make fun of giving them no respect to what they want whatsoever. This is seen as entertainment to him and a way of getting a lot of money and popularity.

Behaviour like this on the internet utterly scares me in a way nothing else can. At the moment 1 out of 6 young women are sexually assaulted which is already a sickening amount but the worse thing is video's like this only encourages it to happen more often. What if it ends up even higher at 1 out of 4? That is literally 4 or 5 girls out of your class. Sexual assault is traumatic and something no one can get over ever in their life time. To think this many young women have to go through such a harmful experience breaks my heart, it makes me sick to the core with anger.

A prank is meant to be something harmless but funny, something everyone can laugh and have a joke at, not committing a crime that can cause serious pain and distress to an individual. Actions like these are not pranks and are far from the definition of a prank.

All i can suggest is that we educate ourselves before condoning such alarming behaviour and realise women are not sexual objects to make a joke out of. We can be strong, sensitive and independent. It's not about gender it's about respecting each other as human beings. We all have feelings so lets act that way. Everyone should always aspire to be open minded, educated and kind to each other.

Dear Body

Before i start with this tag i would just like to thank Laura Lejeune for making this video where she says i message to her body in such a positive way. I shall leave a link below of her video so please subscribe to her channel as well because her videos are so educational and positive. 

Dear Body,

I've never really appreciated what you do for me, it's always been about how you look and highlighting the things i don't like about you. Without you being this way i wouldn't be a healthy, strong person which means a million times more than appearance. There's always been something i need to work on and constant improvement being made when really i needed to take a step back and be thankful that i have both legs, that i don't suffer with a bad back or chronic muscle pain. I know I'm only young but at any age we shall all be grateful for a healthy body. So I'm going to tell you how much i do appreciate you because that's the least you deserve. 

Arms, the evident muscle in my arms shows how strong you are and that i need you to get by. You've filled out in the last few years which is so lovely to see. Arms with shape make me more comfortable displaying them in the hot summer months. 

Having dark hair has it's positive and negative points but i  how dark my hair is and will always stay with my natural hair colour. Some people say it's boring but to be honest i don't think any other colour would suit me. I also like how prominent my eye brows are because of the thickness and darkness of the hair, it makes them stand out and means i don't have to colour them in. The only down side is the hair on the rest of the body but i will forever go with the phrase natural is good. 

Legs, you are the thing i feel the most guilty about taking for granted what you do, for years I've been so focused on the size of my thighs and how much i want to lose a few pounds on this year without realising that having that extra weight is good. It makes them stronger plus i have need using them more than usual lately which is good. I'm just sorry i don't value what you do enough because without you i wouldn't be able to get anywhere so easily. You are what I'm supported by so why shouldn't i support and love you more. 

Skin, I've never really had many problems with spots or bad skin because you keep so clear and smooth, I really am thankful for this because you give me that healthy glow that i need and want. You feel so delightful to touch especially after moisturising. 

Teeth, You are definitely my favourite feature out of them all because I've never had braces or a filling but you are effortlessly straight and beautiful to look at. Even after all the sugar and caffeine you still stay so perfect. I'm sorry I don;t give you as much care as you deserve and sometimes forget to brush you in the morning if I'm in a rush i promise I'll try stopping that because i do ow you after being so good to be. 

Bum, you always give me joy when i look at you through the mirror sometimes even i can't believe how perky you are. Out of all my body parts i've always loved my bottom, maybe that's why it looks so great. I know i've got a pretty big bum but i wouldn't have it any other way and i actually like the fact it's so big, it compensates for having such little boobs. 

Boobs, some people might see having small boobs as a bad thing but i see it as a blessing so thank you boobs for being the size you are it means you will never get in the way or cause me back pain. Not only will be not be in the way for daily activity but also exercise which i do love so I'm really thankful for that boobies. A handful is more than enough for me personally. 

I am so happy i have done this post and would encourage everyone to do one because it's so positive and feel good. Thank you for reading and let me know what you love about your body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu1D3K7k3Dw

Is A Lot Of Interaction Good For You?

So many schools and workplaces are now made so you're able to interact with people whenever and wherever you want, but is this as good as it sounds? Does constant interruption and interaction help with our learning and productivity?

For different lots of research, reading Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Caine being the main piece of research I've learnt that these developments in this generation couldn't be further from the truth. Yes group work has it's positives including being able to interact with others and collecting different ideas however as people we are most productive and come up with the best ideas by being on our own in total solitude because we have no distractions and other people interrupting you can be incredibly distracting because our brains can only focus on one thing at a time.

By having open plan offices in many workplaces this means you are able to get interrupted at any time and can see what you are doing at any point of the working day. This can disturb introverts massively because they are not in complete solitude and privacy to be able to concentrate in the same way as they could if their office space was structured away from the other offices. This has a lot of negative points on people's health as well such as higher blood pressure, flues, the anxiety that causes fight or flight mode and headaches from the amount of noise and putting extra effort into concentrating because of this.

It doesn't just start in working places, it starts at schools where some classes arrange their tables in groups so students have to face each other and this encourages group work and makes it easier for teachers to put students into groups on a regular basis. As an introvert myself things like group work caused me so much stress and anxiety because i knew that being quiet it would be incredibly hard to add something to the group and when i did i was so paranoid i could be wrong even though if i worked on my own i would've been confident i was right. Teachers would also say things like "make sure everyone took part in the group" as if it was a crime to just sit back and observe what everyone else was saying. Little did they know that on average introverted people get the better grades and are generally more creative because they enjoy solitude. It is no surprise that teachers describe their 'perfect' student as outspoken, charming, enthusiastic, confident and always willing to contribute. It's extremely hard for introverts in this generation because the loudest people are always the ones who get heard even though they might not have put as much effort into their work as the introvert. It's not seen as normal as it used to be for students to do their own thing and spend a significant amount of time on their own it's now seen as rude that they don't want to participate with the rest of the class, teachers might think that something is bothering them or somethings wrong but little do they know some people actually like to be on their own and 'do their own thing' this is when some people feel their best and most people work better on their own. At school as soon as i heard the words "now can you get into groups of 4" or however many the number was i instantly got pangs of anxiety and dread for what was going to come. People underestimate how stressed it makes an introvert and most likely that group of people are going to be extroverted.

I enjoyed lessons such as English and R.E because the teachers hardly ever put us into groups and we could focus on our own work and i believe this is part of the reason why i loved these subjects so much at School. By not having to worry about group work i could totally concentrate on my work by myself. Reading at the start of English lessons meant total solitude which also helped incredibly, people really don't see how much solitude and quietness can be such a positive, motivational thing within creativity. There is nothing like peace and quiet. School's encourage extroverts to be even more extroverted which gains even more anxiety to introverts.

I understand that it's good to teach children at a young age about interaction and the benefits to group work for when they get older and to teach people skills because that is one of the most important skills we need as humans but i think it's been taken to the extreme. We need to take a step back and think of the benefits towards introverts rather than living in a completely extroverted way because a lot of people are not extroverts. I'm not saying it's bad to be loud and charismatic i'm just seeing we need both types of characters and each one has their benefits. We just need ways to complement both introverts and extroverts.