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Women and Media Geena Davis / Solo Talk

Geena Davis has a rare insight into Hollywood and the global film industry – and she knows how far we still need to travel before girls can see the variety of women they want to become in the films they watch, the shows they stream and the media they absorb every day. How does film and TV culture reproduce gender stereotypes? And how can we change the industry so that it reflects and celebrates real women and girls? 

Academy Award winner Geena Davis, one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, is recognised for her tireless advocacy of gender equality in media nearly as much as for her acting accomplishments. She is the founder and chair of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which is successfully influencing film and television content creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters — and reduce gender stereotyping — in media targeting children aged 11 and under. She is an official partner of UN Women, working toward their goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women worldwide. Davis is also the chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. 

Few have achieved such remarkable success in as many different fields as Davis has: she is not only an award-winning actor, but a world-class athlete (at one time the USA’s 13th-ranked archer, and a semi-finalist in the Olympic Trials), and a member of the genius society Mensa. Davis holds honorary degrees from Boston University, Bates College and New England College. 

Why Are You Not A Feminist?                                                 Backstage Q&A with Jessa Crispin

 Jessa Crispin is the founder and editor of online literary magazines Bookslut (2012–16) and Spolia (2015–present). She is also the author of The Dead Ladies Project: Exiles, Expats, and Ex-Countries – an exploration of herself and other historical figures who have travelled in search of new beginnings.

In an All About Women Satellite exclusive, go backstage at the Sydney Opera House with Jessa to explore the ideas in her latest book, Why I Am Not A Feminist. Has contemporary feminism grown so tame, cowardly and irrelevant that it barely challenges the status quo? Have feminists traded liberation for acceptance? What will it take to wake the movement up?

Nasty Women Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Van Badham, Lindy West / Panel Talk

What is it about women with opinions, or aspirations to power, that brings out the worst in our culture? Whether we are called ‘nasty women’, ‘frightbats’  or ‘hysterical’ – take your pick – these are labels that are deployed to try to put women in their place. But what happens when women stop being afraid, and ‘nasty woman’ becomes a badge of honour?

Born in Sudan, Yassmin Abdel-Magied and her family arrived in Australia just before she turned two and since then has devoted her energy and talents to making the world a better place through a combination of technical and social skill. Yassmin has forged a hybrid career as a mechanical engineer, social advocate and media commentator. She has also written extensively, her articles appearing in The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, AFR, The Griffith Review, Huffington Post and others, alongside a growing TV and radio presence as a regular on Q&A and a commentator on shows like Insight, The State of the Nation, and The Project.

Van Badham is a weekly columnist for The Guardian in Australia. She is also a theatre-maker and novelist, occasional broadcaster, critic and feminist. She is vice-president of the MEAA in Victoria.

Lindy West is a Seattle-based writer and performer whose work focuses on pop culture, feminism, social justice, humour and body image. Currently a weekly columnist at The Guardian and culture writer for GQ, she was previously a prolific writer at feminist blog Jezebel. As a live performer and commentator, Lindy has made numerous appearances on radio and TV, and regularly speaks at academic events, conferences and literary festivals.