OUSA Women’s Week was held from 29 July-2 August to promote gender equality and raise awareness regarding an extensive range issues, including feminism, sexism, abuse, discrimination and the inclusion of abortion in the Crimes Act.
The week was organised by OUSA’s Women’s Representative Sam Allen, with assistance from OUSA Welfare Officer Ruby Sycamore-Smith. Events such as seminars, self-defence classes, debates and workshops took place throughout the week. Screenings of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were also held daily in the common room.
On Tuesday 30 July, two teams debated the moot: “this House believes that the Dunners Babe of the Day Facebook page is sexist.”
The affirmative team (Jasmine Chalmers, Hannah Kettle and Suad Muse) described the page as promoting patriarchal beauty ideals by consistently featuring thin white women. Muse also stated that what the negating team termed “healthy body representation” was really “a single representation for prescribing what we consider sexy.” In her humorous summary she reminded the audience that thanks to the media, “women [are often] viewed as parts.”
The negating team (consisting entirely of white males, namely Guy McCallum, Zac Gawn and Ryan Edgar) believed the page was just an appreciation of a modern identity that explores western ideas of beauty and identity. They also implied that there was a “double standard,” believing males also felt insecure about their body image when looking at the Dunners Bloke of the Day page.
Gawn argued that sexism exists on every continent and in many cases to an extreme extent, implying that the sexism of the page did not fall into this category. The negating team claimed that the page “appreciates intellectual pursuits and a healthy body image.”
Voting came down to the audience, of which the majority was female. The affirmative team won by a landslide, with only three votes being cast for the negating team.
Outside of Women’s Week, a feminist collective that Allen participates in is currently working with Rape Crisis Dunedin in the organisation of events such as Slutwalk.
While males may assume there was some sexism in the running of Women’s Week, OUSA Welfare Officer Ruby Sycamore-Smith says that OUSA Men’s Rep Edgar is initiating a Men’s Week.
As Critic went to print, Women’s Week was yet to be concluded but had already been hailed a success. As Sycamore-Smith stated, “the student body have been fizzing over the events.”
Woe Men Week
