Transformation of lives: How does empowerment of Black housewives correlate with economic productivity? 1994- 2011; Eastern Cape in South Africa

By Ntombizifikile Mkoyana for WomenBeing Magazine

This script aims to highlight how transformation and empowerment of Black housewives lead to economic productivity. Women empowerment refers to offering training, sharing of skills and knowledge to enable women to be marketable and or financially able. This writing will also talk about human rights violation and examine if the end product contributes to the paralysis women’s abilities. Housewives are perceived as different from women who go to work and earn a salary. This writing talks about the authority that empowerment offers to women’s en route to a marketable sphere where many obstacles like gender inequality and different pay scale do still exist. Housewife is a female who is unemployed and stays at home to look after the family and the home, her main roles are to clean the house, cook, look after the children and home maintenance.

The transformation and empowerment of Eastern Cape housewives towards building economy efficiency have measured an increase in the past few years. Before 1994, housewives were the casualties of socio-economic and political agenda driven from racial segregation. Women had limited resources if any were within their disposal at all. Restricted social engagement and the absence of empowerment painted a different image about these women’s abilities. The conflicting views discredited housewives who were then assumed to be parasitic individuals with zero contribution towards economic growth. These women were always subjected to scrutiny that made them being perceived negatively, stigmatised, aligned and identified as direct contributors to poverty. These judgements were recorded despite the time spent by these women nourishing their children with love, rendering full parental care and maintaining family stability. Even today the housewives’ credentials and abilities towards economic growth are easily declared dubious.

This study focuses on two categories of women: some working at Magwa Tea (Lusikisiki) and those in Ntabankulu who were offered scholarships by Hayi Le Mbila (Funded by Canon Collins Trust UK). The sampling was done by the researcher as she engaged directly with the scholarship programme and involved in talking with women employed at Magwa Tea. In total 100 women aged 22- 56 were interviewed. Women were asked similar questions, based on disruption to jobs and workforce.

Disruption to jobs

The 2011 disagreement between the management and the Magwa Tea employees led to uncertainty and or job insecurity. Many of the women interviewed gave similar responses. N (a 50-year-old, the names are omitted) one of the employees said, “it was a terrible situation, I was worried because I had my financial budget and commitments (school uniform, feed my children, pay my bills and continue paying the builders) when the problems started.” The ability of this lady demonstrates how empowerment led to employment, and later economic independency as she was paying the builders for home improvement. The job security was the key factor.

Workforce

Similar answers were obtained. The only difference was on taking on extra shifts when there was a shortage of workers. B (a 26-year-old) mentioned that the presence of the majority of women gave made her feel safer, as their united voice boosted their confidence in knowing that “women are capable too”. She spoke about how she took more shifts when there was a shortage so that she could earn more. She mentioned that extra cash gave her financial freedom to save.

Rural women provide, work hard and once empowered they know their fundamental rights. If given a chance they maintain food security (buy food, grow their vegetables and take paid work).

Picture by South African Tourism on Flickr.

No changes were made to the picture. Creative Commons attribution fulfilled.

Independent researcher under the Global Support Services Consultancy (South Africa and U.K.) and mentor of the CEO/ founder of Dali’s HEN (H – health, E- education & N -nutrition).

§Why we need to rethink female leadership

There is power in embracing, not ignoring, our cyclical nature as women.

By Natalia Bonilla for WomenBeing Magazine

When I first read a feminine leadership article in Forbes magazine calling it “the future”, I flipped out.

How could feminine traits be considered powerful in the workplace?

In a time when 79 % of top executive positions are held by men according to Hays 2017 report, it is easy to take for granted that the only model of leadership is the hegemonic masculine one.

Women who try to reach top positions are often confronted with this expectation that they should behave like men do to get a job or maintain a power position.

When meeting this expectation, female leaders are posed with this question of whether or not they are betraying their inner voice, personality and agency.

It shouldn’t be this way.

After surveying more than 60,000 people in 13 countries The Athena Doctrine, research led by John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio, revealed how people were fed up with a hyper-masculine type of leadership that exerted control over teams through aggression, tyranny, manipulation and even, violence.

The report which was later published in a book also revealed the leaders of the “future” should be more empathic, tolerant and open to collaboration.

The thing is we don’t question the concept of leadership itself and we should start to.

We take it for “granted” that leadership is associated with masculine traits instead of wondering, which of those traits have been normalized as a form of power and why?

Masculine leadership has ruled through centuries by males and also by female leaders, from high profiles like Queen Elizabeth I and Margaret Thatcher, who have recurred to this management style to maintain “influence” or exerting “violence” to persuade others.

We need to rethink female leadership in the US and worldwide because, in order to succeed in the current entrepreneurial ecosystem, it often implies women may suppress their feminine qualities to “be taken seriously” because that is how the game plays out.

And I’m not talking about wearing or not wearing makeup, dressing “girly” or putting on high heels.

I’m talking about expectations such as “show force when talking”, “a strong presence”, “an unwavering determination”, “a go-getter attitude”, a “hunger to achieve results”, “a long to-do list”…

These are expectations that harm our relationship with ourselves as women, as leaders and as CEOs.

As a business coach and researcher, I have worked with the extremes: female leaders embracing or rejecting their feminine qualities while disregarding or obsessing over their masculine ones.

How are the dynamics?

Those who reject their femininity to the extreme become consumed by competition, envy, emotional disconnection and feel a strong desire to dominate an Other.

Those who embrace their femininity to the extreme become consumed by sensitivity, the beautiful world of dreams and ideas and showcase a lack of order, confidence and materialization in the physical world.

It is easier to talk about how charming feminine leadership is while disregarding the masculine leadership but that is not the case.

Neither is right or wrong.

To my understanding, this kind of pattern does not help form better leaders because feminine and masculine leaderships do not cancel each other out.

They complement each other, just as the balance between masculine and feminine energies help human and leadership growth.

If we don’t first heal our notions of “what a leader is” and “what leadership should be”, progress in our workplace and in our personal lives will be slow and even stagnant.

If we don’t heal our notions with “our femininity” and “our masculinity”, we will keep exteriorizing thoughts, behaviours and actions harming the growth of our personal relationships and, of course, our enterprise.

Embracing masculine and feminine traits in our leadership will only strengthen our chances to become better leaders, women and humans.

So, finally, I want to leave you with these questions to reflect upon:

Answer:
• What is femininity to you?
• How do you express femininity and in which areas of your life do you allow yourself to do so?
• What is masculinity to you?
• How do you express masculinity and in which areas of your life do you allow yourself to do so?
• What is leadership to you?
• What should a leader be?
• Ultimately, what kind of leader do you want to be?

Let your responses guide you to the type of acceptance work you need to do or have.

May you allow yourself to be more and do less, work smarter and not harder to achieve your dream goals.

—

If you seek guidance to develop these leadership skills for you or your team, look forward to helping you grow.

Schedule a 15 min. commitment-free clarity session with me here or write to me at hello@nataliabonilla.org

Natalia Bonilla is an international female leadership & business strategy coach, conflict journalist and news producer with more than 10 years of experience in 12 countries. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico, a M.A. in International Relations from the University of York, a Pg.Dp. in Peace and Conflict Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

You can follow her on Facebook @nataliabonillaprojects, Instagram @nataliabonillainc and @luminainc.

One Monday in 2017, Hannah was on the way home from her lunchbreak. She walked past a small group of men and women with rosaries in their hands, murmuring prayers outside the Chalmers Sexual Health Centre in Edinburgh. A member of the group handed her a leaflet as she was passing by, and Hannah realised that this was a vigil ‘to pray for the end of abortion’, as stated on the leaflet. 

Read more on Page 32 of WomenBeing Magazine.

US – Iran: Patriarchs and the Fragility of Hegemonic Power

A feminist overview of US – Iran tensions

By Natalia Bonilla

After the recent murder of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the latest US military operation against male political and insurgent leaders in the Middle East (including Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi), the Trump Administration unveiled Wednesday a clear agenda to “terminate” bad behaved men.

All these main figures and countless of others were perceived as a threat for opposing with their words, behaviors and actions the ideals and interests of the American nation.

When looking through the lenses of feminist theory in IR, it is easy to fall into the trap of asking the obvious and yet important question:  Where are the women?

The Iranian, the Iraqi, the American and any ethnic minorities living in these countries women?

Under Johan Galtung’s conflict journalism paradigm, international mainstream media has failed to cover women’s needs, way of thinking, voices and initiatives.

Needlessly to say, at this delicate point in the conflict the press has to cover official sources and they so happen to be, mostly male.

Apparently, there is no time to wonder whether gender violence at the structural, cultural and direct level had anything to do with that reality…

Even if, international analysts are debating whether or not the US-Iran conflict started with the nuclear deal, with the 1979 Revolution or the 1953 coup because of course, dates are important.

And so are men and so are numbers.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump unveiled a clear government agenda to get rid of opposing patriarchs.

The previous military, terrorist and political leaders as well as the current Heads of State in Iran (political leader Hassan Rouhani and religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini), Iraq (Barham Salih) and the United States (Trump), are considered to be the patriarchs of nations.

A patriarch is a leading figure of a family, tribe, town or by extension, nation.

Nations, on the other hand, may have feminine or masculine cultures depending on the stereotypical gender qualities by which they identify or value the most (by constitution, laws, customs or social dynamics allowed in an informal way).

While “nations” are different from the concept of “States”, it is important to recognize that Iran, the United States and Iraq meet the characteristics of manly states. (Charlotte Hooper, 2001)

In this recent escalation of the conflict we can observe how the United States perceives and is failing to address a growing threat to its hegemonic power or shall we say… hegemonic masculinity?

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, US foreign policy sought to position the State as a hegemonic superpower.

The concept “hegemony” is the hyperbole of the concept “power.”

The term power was conceived since Ancient Greece relating “masculinity“ with “strength” and the “control”.

According to IR feminist theory, the vision of a hegemonic masculinity supports patriarchy, a system of oppressive political and social order against women (and men).

By delegitimizing other expressions of masculinity and suppressing expressions of stereotypical femininity, a State operates a structure that divides the norms, behaviors and identities of itself, its institutions and its citizens in two sides: correct or incorrect, masculine or feminine, etc.

It wasn’t always that way.

It is important to note that under the Bill Clinton Administration (1992-2000) the US shifted the gender norm of hegemony by fully embracing “soft power”.

This meant that the state was not relying its foreign policy to “hard power” in the form of military and economic means but also actively employed diplomacy and cooperation, two terms stereotypically related to feminine leadership qualities to pursue their interests abroad.

Then, 9/11 happened and the consequent Global War on Terror plunged the US into two wars and invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq in what could be read an overwhelming use of force to punish local leaders and authorities for breaking the “bro code”, the “male bonding” between nations or “camaraderie”.

The “women’s rights” issue as a “human rights” issue was brought by the Bush Administration particularly in Afghanistan.

It was secondary “backup” justification for war in this country.

Recognizing that both Middle Eastern states were facing institutional fragility, the first under Taliban control and the second under Hussein’s tyranny (approved in occasions by the US depending on who was in power), after the first couple of years US military force fell short.

Invading Afghanistan and Iraq were not enough “deterrence” to stop jihad, terrorist groups neither to give a quick “victory” to the American nation.

Almost 20 years have gone by and the US continues to struggle in a region where it simply refuges to “lose”, “recognize defeat” for the fear of public humiliation for not reaching “the hunting prize” (oil, pride, territorial control, you name it).

When Trump came into power in 2017, his Administration sought to restore the perception of hegemonic power by imposing harsh economic sanctions to Iran and focusing on “winning” small “trophies” with the list of patriarchs.

Of course, this may sound too wicked to comprehend but this is only a glimpse of what feminist theory encourages us to question: the unequal relationship between states and how that inequality is gendered and affects the way we study and think about the world.

Analyzing Iran’s position is another topic of analysis since the religious factor greatly influences its domestic and foreign policy.

This would lead to study the assumptions of Samuel P. Huntington on his book The Clash of Civilizations and the question of whether this ideological war between the West and the Middle East (and the Far East as well) responds to a double edged sword: the universalization of a less “masculine” and more “feminine” concept of “power” as long as it is adopted and controlled by a “hegemonic” state actor (and if it is doing so willingly and not because of a progressive trend ie. Feminist Foreign Policy models).

One question remains and that is to see how “feminine” or “soft” the concept of hegemony can be, which academic Mimi Schippers sought to solve in her article Recovering the Feminine Other: Masculinity, Femininity, and Gender Hegemony (2007).

At the beginning of this article, the “issue” of “women” was raised.

It should not be treated lightly.

Partly hidden because of media’s and institutional narratives and partly promoted if it fits certain interests in the topic of hegemony, patriarchs and the US-Iran realpolitik somewhere along the way the vulnerability of the lives of an “Other” and the highest value over “Our Own” as well as the silence of women and the rhetoric of leading males have been missed.

International mass media coverage of the Iran – US case has privileged the use of the war journalism  and ruled out the peace journalism angle, a methodology created by Galtung.

It is in this bombardment of convenient and plural rhetorics in extension (polarity of support for Trump in the US media; victimization and redemption of Iran in the Arab and some European media; and the disapproval and even demonization of the US in the Russian, Chinese and some European state and privately-owned media) that a notion of “truth” or “absolutism” is lost.

Any international analysis on this situation will fail to understand what really happens, which personal, ideological, commercial and government interests defend these media companies and what kind of images and narratives they are reinforcing on us, depending on where we live, with their daily coverage in the process.

The quantification of bodies, the prayers for some populations (pray for our troops in the US, pray for Americans to pay or leave our region, pray for the US or Iran to change their rhetoric, pray for world peace ) and the feeding of hatreds of others (threat, revenge, destruction, annihilation), are fertile ground to study the unequal and superior/inferior relations between states, nations and people.

Finally, the “silence” of women, people of other gender identities, children and other vulnerable populations and their role in this conflict is an even more challenging topic because the legitimization of some voices and the invisibility of others lead us to question how profound, how deep are the wounds of   gender violence in each of the States in this case study that, in turn, explain the absences of these figures in the “image” created of this conflict.

To do this, it would be necessary to explore whether or not to apply criticism to the assumptions of the Copenhagen school (international security) made by Academic Lene Hansen (2000) in her article The Little Mermaid’s Silent Security Dilemma and the Absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School or if, on the contrary, there is a benefit and a convenient winning card to silence, a proposal by Xavier Guillaume (2018) in his article How to do things with silence: Rethinking the centrality of speech to the securitization framework.

According to Guillaume’s hypothesis, “silence” can be seen as an invisibility yes but also, it can be interpreted as a way these patriarchs or stereotypically masculine authorities are protecting the “defenseless”, the “soft”, the “weak” and the “preciously” “feminine” population of “women”.

Natalia Bonilla is an international female leadership & business strategy coach, conflict journalist and news producer with more than 10 years of experience in 12 countries. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Puerto Rico, a M.A. in International Relations from the University of York, a Pg.Dp. in Peace and Conflict Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

You can follow her on Facebook @nataliabonillaprojects, Instagram @nataliabonillainc and @luminainc.

New year, new events! If you are completely recovered from the festivities, have a look at our guide of events happening in Edinburgh this month.

Marbles: Unfinished. 11th January 2020.

Celebrating the newest issue of Marbles, an independently printed magazine which explores and dissects the stigma around mental health

Marbles is back with a vengeance and hosting a not-so-soft relaunch with issue #5 – Unfinished.

Featuring:

Readings from Kirsty Logan and Lola Keeley. Poetry from Sean Wai Keung.

By Lighthouse – Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop and Marbles Mag

Parliament Plaque Project Library Visits. 15th of January 2020.

A women’s only event, part the Parliament Plaque Project, which aims to discover and explore quotes from women (writers, poets, artists, politicians, historians – whichever participants wish to explore) which could sit alongside those already situated on the Canongate Wall of the Scottish Parliament, facing onto the Royal Mile and often the first interaction people will have with the Parliament.

By WEA Lothian Women’s Forum

Free, booking required.

Know Your Rights! What Islam really says about women. 18th of January 2020. 

MWAE invite our women to join in a panel discussion about the rights of women in Islam. 

Please book your ticket by paying (ENTRY £3) online at www.mwae.org.uk using our Donate button. Give reference “Ticket”

With a full female line up and refreshments we can enjoy a lively discussion in a friendly atmosphere.

 HEAR > from knowledgeable sisters about what your rights are as a Muslim woman to study, work, marry, raise children.

DISCUSS > Your issues with a panel of inspirational speakers.

CELEBRATE > Muslim womanhood in a friendly environment.

By Muslim Women’s Association of Edinburgh.

Curator’s tour: Women photographer’s from the AmberSide Collection. 21st January 2020

An evening exhibition tour with Ben Harman, Director of Stills and curator of Women Photographers from The AmberSide Collection.

By Stills Galery.

Free, booking required.

CVs and Interview Skills Workshop for Women in STEM. 28th January 2020

A free workshop for women in STEM: learn about interview skills and CV building, by Equate Scotland.

FREE, booking required.

Readers of color. 30th January 2020.

Edinburgh reading group to discover and chat about poetry, fiction, and narrative non-fiction by women writers of colour.

By Glasgow Women’s Library and Lighthouse – Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop .

Free, booking required.

Glasgow Women’s Library: Create & Connect Showcase. 21st of January 2020.

Hear work from new members of the Glasgow Women’s Library’s Autumn Create and Connect group in a magical evening of poetry, prose, storytelling and – most importantly – creating and connecting.

Create and Connect is a four monthly creative writing initiative run by the Glasgow Women’s Library in Edinburgh, with an immersive programme of workshops for new members each season. To find out more, or join the next season starting February 2020, visit www.womenslibary.org.uk.

This is a free event or by donation.

By Scottish Poetry Library and Glasgow Women’s Library

New year new… self-love?

As a new year begins, many of us make resolutions. I’m going to do more of this, less of that. Some resolutions are related to our bodies. Related to what we don’t like about them and to what we really want to change.

Monica Martins chats with body positivity and body image advocate, Danni Gordon, and with Intuitive Eating Coach and Body Positive Yoga Teacher, Gillian McCollum, about eating, body, and why if you have any new year resolutions about change related to your body, those should be loving your body more.

• Gillian, can you explain what intuitive eating is about?

Intuitive Eating is defined as a flexible style of eating in which you learn to reconnect with and trust your body’s internal sensations of hunger and satiety to gauge when to eat, what to eat and how much to eat. It’s a process of rejecting the rigid, prescribed ways of eating taught to us by diet culture and fostering kindness and compassion to reduce feelings of guilt and ethical dilemma around your food choices. Intuitive eaters enjoy a wide variety of satisfying foods and move their bodies for pleasure, not to compensate for food.

• So, you are not a diet-health practitioner, correct? What is the exact difference between that and what you do?

The conventional weight-normative approach to health is very weight centric, believing weight loss and weight control is key to good health. This approach often outsources eating behaviour to diets and meal plans, stripping us of confidence and eroding trust in ourselves to internally regulate our behaviour.

 I’m a non-diet health practitioner and work under the Health At Every Size (HAES) model of care.

HAES is a weight-inclusive movement that supports people of all sizes in addressing health directly by adopting healthy behaviors rather than focusing on weight.

• Danni, what does exactly a body positivity and body image advocate do?

Hiya! Well really, we come in all forms and what is good to know is… Everyone can be a Body Positive Advocate! The Body Positive Movement is a political movement which fights for the respect and acceptance of all bodies. Specifically, focusing on bodies which are most marginalised in our society such as; larger bodies, older bodies, people with disfigurements, people who sit out-with the gender binary, disabled bodies and people of color.

I, perhaps, go that one step further than most because I started The Chachi Power Project in 2017 and as part of the project I hold events, give talks and blog about how we can fight against things like fatphobia or how we can achieve a bit more equality in society.

Really everyone gets to be a part of the Movement and an advocate for it, if they want to be. If you do, it just means you have to recognise the very real social inequalities and take small or large actions (however much you feel comfortable) to undo them. Sometimes that could be making sure your event has accessibility requirements for all people who might attend and sometimes that’s telling your grandma not to fat-shame your auntie Jo anymore.

I also blog and do a lot on social media focusing on how we can undo the internal criticism a lot of us have for our own bodies. I believe the toxic pressure which comes from external messaging has now been firmly internalised by a lot of us and we all give ourselves far too much of a hard time. So, I also talk about ways we can undo that messaging and learn how to be more forgiving, kinder and more connected to our own bodies.

• And how can you help people who wish to work with you?

In a huge variety of ways really. I started The Chachi Power Project in 2017 and have given talks and workshops in offices and in schools and at wellbeing events. I tend to discuss with the event organisers what specific topics relating to body image might be useful to the people in attendance and work the content around that. I also run independent workshops every so often collaborating with people I respect which focus on Body Image and Self Care. In the past I have run a couple of retreats and I’m thinking of running another in 2020 if people wanted to come along. The best thing to do is get in touch with me and we can chat over email, a coffee or Skype about what your needs are and come up with a plan of action!

• And you, Gillian, can you let us know how can you help people who wish to work with you?

I help women overcome binge eating and emotional eating, bringing them back to a state of peace and sanity around food and weight. I do this through my one-to-one private coaching programme, which is available worldwide by video or phone.

• Was there something that happened in your lives, that made you both take this professional path?

Gillian: For almost all of my 20s and 30s, I was a chronic yo-yo dieter, binge eater, and overeater. I used dieting as a proxy to health and as a way of controlling an increasingly stressful corporate job.  Discovering yoga led me on a path of body acceptance and quitting dieting allowed me to pursue health on my own terms. These seemingly small changes actually transformed my whole life and now I have the pleasure of helping others find their path to food and body freedom.

Danni: I suffered from terrible body image from about the age of 8 till I did a few very helpful self-development courses in 2016 in London when I was 33. The problem was that I never knew my body image was so bad because everyone around me was exactly the same since negative body image has become so normalised in society. I only noticed how much it affected every aspect of my life like my relationships, my confidence, my work life and my self-esteem when I came out the other side and discovered that I didn’t have to feel that way anymore. It was the most refreshing and life changing epiphany I’ve ever had and has affected a huge amount of my life. Then in 2017 I started The Chachi Power Project because I knew that if I have had this change in attitude then perhaps, I can help other people do it too.

• Now, Danni, I know that body image is something that young people, especially girls and women, struggle a lot with. In your opinion, what are the main factors that contribute to this?

The message about what is a ‘correct’ or a ‘good’ body is everywhere. The noise about how we ‘should be’ is deafening and comes in the form of advertising, film and TV. Diet culture pervades every conversation we have including how we bond as a gender. When you start to recognise it, you will notice the focus on bodies is everywhere, and now that I am three years into my project, I realise that protecting ourselves and our children against it can seem like a full-time job.

Really it’s down to patriarchal beauty standards working hand in hand with capitalism and it’s a bunch of people up high, behind the scenes, telling us we will only be happy if we look a certain way and if we buy their ‘stuff’ to achieve that very unattainable body. It’s exhausting for all of us but those people up-high like it when we are battered into submission because we become weak, suggestible, puppet-like and desperate.

• And what do you think that governments and the media for example, could do about this?

The Government need to start protecting us and our children from that messaging. We need toeducate those who work with children (and parents) about media literacy and the dangers of diet culture so they improve their language around our young people.

We need to make sure body diversity is top of the agenda in advertising campaigns so we can start to normalise all the bodies we see on screens and in media so that they match up with the bodies we see in everyday life. This well help to normalise what we are ‘allowed’ to be, as well as reduce the stigmatisation that fat people, disabled people and people of color experience constantly.

Currently the fundamental (and toxic) message is: ‘no matter what you look like you need to improve and keep improving to an unreachable goal’ and when people consistently hear that message, they consistently beat themselves up. It makes people give up on themselves, it disassociates them from their body and their body’s needs and causes a breakdown in mental and physical wellbeing. People are in a perpetual state of feeling guilty and like they aren’t doing well enough. They have a messed-up relationship to their body and food and they constantly punish themselves and their bodies in a myriad of ways because they think they are a failure.

 If we flip the messaging to: ‘you are allowed to exist just as you are, you are allowed to like your body, perhaps even love your body (!) regardless of how it looks and how it works.’Then people do start being kinder to themselves and other people with different body types. They reconnect with their body; they start listening to their body and both their mental and physical wellbeing improves. This change in attitude has a knock-on affect to so many aspects of their life that they may never have foreseen, but it is powerful, and it is possible.

• In your experience, have you ever been approached by members of public sector organisations or even the media, to help them to tackle this issue?

Gillian: I’m sometimes asked by media to comment on Intuitive Eating and anti-diet wellness, mainly as a counter argument to the mainstream weight-normative approach of weight = health. Especially in January when dieting is rife!

Danni: Yes. I’ve been asked to speak on the Kaye Adams BBC Scotland radio show to discuss body image and I was invited on BBC Scotland’s The Nine News programme to discuss the impact of Barbie on our nations young people. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority asked me to speak at Scottish Parliament about the media’s impact on our collective body image and I’ve also given evidence in Scottish Parliament about body image issues which might prevent young girls from participating in sport at school age. I’ve featured in a number of newspaper and magazine articles giving my perspective on various issues stemming from the Body Positive Movement including fertility, male body image, self-love, disordered eating, body confidence, body hair and self-care. I’ve also been grateful to have been interviewed on a number of podcasts which has spurred me on to creating my own podcast in 2020!

• And what brought you to work together, and what do you do?

Gillian: I was asked to join Danni for a couple of her recent Intuitive Eating dinners in 2019 in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where we would bring like-minded folks together to explore a non-diet approach to food and body.  Danni will be collaborating with me in March for my first workshop and will be joining me to record some new material for my coaching programme.

• How can we find more about what both of you do?

Gillian: My website www.gillianmccollum.com and on Instagram @gillianmccollum

Danni: My website is www.chachipowerproject.co.uk and you can get me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chachipowerproject/, Instagram at @chachipowerproject or Twitter at @chachi_power

Image data source

• Just to finalise, what message would you like to send our readers, as we just started a new year and at this time, it’s normal for people to have lists of new year resolutions?

Gillian: By the time most women come to me they claim they’ve ‘tried it all’ but truly they’ve only ever tried dieting (in its many different forms) in an attempt to feel in control around food and happy with their body. I’d like people to know that there is an alternative approach to pursuing physical health and mental wellbeing which doesn’t involve achieving a specific weight and body outcome. 

Danni: Here is what I want to say/ ask every single one of your readers: Hey beautiful, how are you? Are you ok? How do you feel? Do you feel at peace? Are you connected to your own needs? Are you connected to your body’s needs? If not, then what do you think might rekindle that connection? Perhaps meditation, perhaps intuitive eating, perhaps re-assess the New Year’s Resolutions you probably have in place already (does hitting the gym at 5am 5 times a week sound familiar?) and maybe see if there is another way to bring your mind and your body joy and energy. To move it and nourish it without punishing it and yourself.

And mainly… if any of this interview with me and Gillian resonates with you then why not dip your toe into the world of Body Positivity. Follow us online and we will introduce you to some interesting people, interesting concepts and as cheesy as it sounds we might be able to set you on a different ‘body beautiful’ path, the one you never foresaw, or ever realised you needed. But it’s a new one, and a happier one. We promise.

If you’d like to work with Gillian and Danni they will be running this workshop in Edinburgh in March 2020:

As if Chantal Mrimi wasn’t busy enough working and looking after her two children, she also found time to lead community projects supporting women and girls in Rwanda. Chantal sits down with Belen Gonzalez Leggire to talk about her life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Scotland, her charity work and her views on Rwanda past and present.

Read more on Page 8 of WomenBeing Magazine.

Do you experience any difficulties when buying clothes?

This jacket is too big? Why don’t these trousers fit? To expensive? Or none?

The majority of people may not find it more difficult than this.

But the reality is not quite the same for everyone.

The project “My body is real”, created by fashion designer and image consultant Michele Simoes, aims to give visibility to people with disabilities. It claims for more inclusive and practical fashion.

Model: Letícia, 19, Public Relations Student.

After a car accident, Michele became paraplegic, which led to a new perspective on her body and her relationship with fashion. It was easy for her to find clothes for a tall and slim body… but after the accident, getting dressed and finding representation for bodies that are basically invisible in society, became a challenge.

Models: Ravelly Santana, 20, Journalism student – amoutation. Bruno Favoretto, 33, journalist – Spinal Cord Injury.

“I can’t express how happy I felt the day when, after many attempts, I managed to get dressed by myself. Something so common for the majority has such an impact in some the lives of some people. The physical access to shops, the customer service, the creation of functional fashion that includes the identity of these consumers, and representativity in the media, could be a good start for more inclusive fashion”, Michele said.

Another project by the same author, “Amor Fati”*, shows the sensuality of women with disabilities and breaks taboos about the subject.

“I felt and still feel embarrassed when I go to the gynaecologist because this is another area that is not prepared to deal with deficiency. I was once seen by a doctor (a woman) who was surprised that I could have children”, Michelle said.

Female fertility is a subject frequently mistreated, as many people believe that all disabled women can’t be mothers.

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“We are frequently asked if we can be mothers. Why do people ask this straight away? It’s a huge subject, but generally, the sexuality of people with disabilities is erased. And we need to explore this. Our desire, belonging and even abuse need to become visible.”

Removing preconceptions through fashion, “Amor Fati”* uses underwear as an empowerment tool. Six women were photographer, with the aim to raise awareness and break the idea of fragility and infantilisation of people with disabilities.

Image credits: Michelle Simoes, Dário Matos, Marco A. de Ávila

Amor Fati: Love destiny (Latin)

References:https://www.hypeness.com.br/2016/08/projeto-meu-corpo-e-real-promove-e-reivindica-moda-inclusiva-para-pessoas-com-deficiencia/

https://www.hypeness.com.br/2019/12/mulheres-com-deficiencia-esbanjam-sensualidade-em-ensaio-fotografico/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=hypeness_fb&fbclid=IwAR07MBrB6Ahh6q-xZVcMRARAcff3TMZLZHDIkZ6QXF7_XSYUwdjkhLOodfk

Thanks to: Mariana Santo Alexandre for sharing the article with me

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If you would like for your event to be featured in our online magazine, please get in touch on info@womenbeing.co.uk

Women’s events in Edinburgh, December 2019

by Monica Martins

I know…. December is all about the holidays. But still, there are some pretty amazing events going on in Edinburgh. Here is our list for this month!

Paula Rego, “Obedience and Defiance”

at the National Galleries of Scotland

The art of Paula Rego is incredibly relevante for the feminist movement. If you have some free time in December, please don’t miss this!

“Spanning Rego’s career from the 1950s through to 2012, the works in this exhibition address António de Oliveira Salazar’s fascist regime, the 1997 referendum on legalising abortion in Portugal, the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the United States and its allies and, from 2009, female genital mutilation – all of which resonate strongly with contemporary feminist and political issues. Highlights of the exhibition include Dog Woman (1952), Snow White and her Stepmother (1995), The First Mass in Brazil(1993) and Joseph’s Dream (1990). Curated by independent curator Catherine Lampert and organised by MK Gallery (Milton Keynes), the exhibition includes over 60 loans.”

For more info and tickets, please visit: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/paula-rego-obedience-and-defiance

Celebration of the launch of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag: The Scriptures, by Golden Hare Books.

To celebrate the launch of the book, Golden Hare bookseller Anahit Behrooz will be joined by Phoebe Waller Bridge’s editor Emma Herdman, Glasgow poet and performer Cat Hepburn, Tramp Press’ publishing director and Scotsman columnist Laura Waddell, and writer, editor and activist Rianna Walcott for an in-depth conversation about Fleabag’s success, and its contribution to feminist cultural production.

Tickets can be found HERE.

Queer Women’s Group: Social Night, by LGBT Health and Wellbeing

An inclusive monthly group to meet other queer women in Edinburgh. We welcome trans women and non-binary people who are comfortable in women-centred spaces.

This month will be the  last 2019 meetup and they would love to have your suggestions and ideas about our future meetups. The meeting will take place at The Regent.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Women in Business Networking Event, by Business Gateway

Meet, network and enjoy a relaxed lunch chatting with other like-minded businesswomen.

Join Business Gateway to celebrate the success of their recent Women in Business Growth Programme. Meet some of the recent cohort and hear about their ambitious plans to grow their businesses. Business Gateway will also be opening applications for the next Growth Programme in Edinburgh in 2020.

You can find more information and tickets HERE.

Deep Conversations & Transformations: Celebrating & letting go,

by Linette Gray

Join coach Lynette Grey to celebrate and reflect on 2019 and then let it go to create lots of space for 2020.

The intention for the circle is to create a safe confidential space to share and connect deeply with each other.

What to expect: Intention setting, dancing, laughing, sharing, listening, writing, releasing, gratitude and hugs.

Click here, or more info and tickets.

If you would like for your event to be featured in our online magazine, please get in touch on info@womenbeing.co.uk