Bold Women Write Back

Abstract

On the 20th of January this year, the American people ushered in a serial misogynist as President of the so-called free world. A known womaniser, an alleged rapist with a long list of women accusing him of sexual harassment and a public record consisting of a tirade of derogatory remarks about women,Trump’s sexism is incontestable. Further, his various positions and policies—from the Mexican wall and the Muslim travel-ban,to his stand against undocumented immigrants and his commitment to repeal Obamacare, among many others—stand to adversely affect society’s most vulnerable. As we watched that election take shape from across the Pacific we felt as if we were powerless bystanders witnessing a fateful and horrific collision unfold as a nightmarish slow-motion spectacle. The implication was clear: hard-won gains for women worldwide risked slipping backward, precipitously. On the same day, street artist Shepard Fairey released a new poster series to protest President-elect Donald Trump. 'We the people' featured powerful portraits of Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinas with slogans such as “Woman are perfect,” and “Defend dignity.” Just weeks later, on the 8th of March, International Women’s Day launched their 2017 campaign, 'Be bold for change', calling for women across the world to rise up and be bold in fighting gender inequality, stereotypes, and all forms of oppression. There was a sense around both of these events that women were being called upon to rise up, and we saw in Fairey’s work a challenge to artists to do so in ways that also championed women. These events inspired our Special Issue, 'Bold women write back'.

Keywords

• women
• sexism
• protest
• gender inequality
• art
• literature
• creative works