WE WON’T GO QUIETLY
Due to the rise and surge in popularity of many divisive political figures one major human rights movement that is important in the current climate is the feminist movement. feminism is the belief in economic, political and social equality for both men and women. Through research I found that the movement has many opponents, including the 45th president of the United States Donald J trump, who has made countless sexist comments about women before and during his presidency. One example of this that I found was during his presidential campaign in 2015 he tweeted that “If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?”, Thats a comment I and many others find highly offensive. What is even more shocking that despite making such offensive he many feminists including myself found sickening and even more shocking that he would go on to become the president of the United States.
I also found that in response to Trump being elected, a group of feminists decided to organise a protest that was aimed to help bring equal rights to women in all aspects and would send a clear message that they are against Donald trump's comments. This protest was originally meant to take place in Washington DC but then spread across America and the world, on January the 21st, 2017, the day after trump's presidential inauguration. This protest known as the Woman’s March would go on to become the largest single day protest in US history.
The medium of textiles is often considered a very feminine practise but selection of artists are using it currently using it in order highlight the inequality is women face. One artist the I fond particularly interesting is Lin Tianmiao And her work Badges, 2011, This is a fascinating example I've heard textiles can be used in art to bring attention to the feminist movement. After the murder of Sarah Everard I was captivated by the public response and how this contrasted with many individuals in power. While there was mass outcry for the government to do something with many taking part in vigils for Sarah, there was very little response from the government. In response to Sarah's death MP Jess Phillips read out the names of women killed by men from March 2020 to March 2021. I found the sheer amount heart breaking and this made me interested, through my work, to bring attention to the women who have lost their lives just because of their gender.
