15 steps to creating your wonderful feminist world!
By Philippa Willitts

Challenge your presumptions about heterosexuality

Patriarchy survives by people believing its propagation of the myth that men are superior to womyn. The more power men have over womyn, the more they take. Heterosexuality is the symptom of a society which eroticises this promotion of dominance and submission, and presents it as "natural" or "normal".
Lesbianism gives womyn a valid choice, a challenge to the heterosexist patriarchy. It is an active political move, to lead a womyn-centred existence and a life rejecting male-dominated institutions. Enjoy!

 

Teach children to respect themselves and others

Don't buy toy guns, knives or swords for children - it glamorises violence and turns it into a fun game (which it is not!)
Challenge traditional "fairy tales" (with their submissive, beautiful womyn and powerful men, made up purely of white people). Talk to them of different cultures, teaching them an inclusive, tolerant view of the world, banishing heterosexist, racist and classist prejudices and enhancing positive and empowering feelings of respect for diversity and Self.

Take time out to develop your spiritual, loving, creative Self.

Have fun! Do a headstand.
Dance around your house naked.
Stay in the bath for an hour - relax and enjoy the sensations.
Sing at the top of your voice in the middle of a field.
Wear your comfiest, saggy, misshaped, discoloured clothes that don't match, for the ultimate self-indulgent experience.
Be warm, love yourself, read inspiring writing, play, paint colourful artwork, write a children's story.

Enjoy your body

Wobble your thighs and stick your tummy out.
Every ounce of soft flesh is an integral part of the fantabulous, delectable YOU!

Don't waste! (money or the earth's resources)

Turn off the tape when you're brushing your teeth.
Don't put too much water in the kettle.
Turn off the lights when you're not in the room (although it can be wise to leave a light on when you go out at night so it looks like there's somebody in).
Don't drive! (and certainly not for short distances). Walk, cycle or use public transport.
Don't throw out scrap paper. Re-use or re-cycle it.
Give old clothes to charity. Don't throw anything away that someone else could benefit from.

Re-Use and Re-Cycle

Take your own bag to the shops. Getting a new plastic carrier bag each time costs money, and more to the point, contributes to destroying our world.
Re-use envelopes - get some labels from the charity of your choice - saves money, provides publicity for a good cause, and uses less paper.
Recycle newspapers and all recyclable paper and glass bottles.
Send junk mail back to the companies that sent it out to you in the first place. They should soon get the message!

Use your spending power for good ethical and social causes.

Choose fairly-traded, environmentally-friendly goods over mass-produced shit at every opportunity.
Buy from co-operative or independent stores/businesses.
Support charity shops - you'll be surprised by the quality clothes and amazing books you can find at really low prices, if you hunt around.
Support small, local businesses rather than giving your money to environment-destroying, people-exploiting, big out-of-town supermarkets.

Turn off your television for a week.

You won't be so bombarded with capitalist marketing strategies.
You won't be so subjected to the heterosexist patriarchal "rules" projected onto us by society and the media.
Us the time creatively. Without the TV you'll find yourself with lots of free time - enjoy and make the most of it, and you'll soon see how much time you waste staring at a box.

Don't shave your legs for a week.

And DON'T hide it!!
Why should you?
And once you haven't shaved them for a week, and you realise that the world doesn't fall apart… throw away your razors and never buy another one!

Go to work / into town / on a date with no make-up on.

What's so frightening or awful about your beautiful face that you have to cover it up for other people?

Celebrate Gynstruation!!!!!

Its' part of the marvels of your wonderful body! Don't be ashamed, don't hide it, TALK about it! It's YOU! You're a womon! Periods are fantastic, spiritual, creative experiences. Tell people!

Write a letter - NOW!

and post it! What's the most predominant societal / cultural / political issue for you at the moment? Write the letter to your MP / Council and SEND IT! Or write to a shop, organisation or publication who has offended you. Go on!

Challenge a newsagent to stop selling porn.

Pornography is womyn-hating, patriarchal, capitalist objectification and sexualisation of womyn's bodies.
Shout at a man buying a porn mag, embarrass him!
Girlcott shops selling this abusive material.
Write "THIS HURTS WOMYN" on the covers of porn mags in permanent pen.

Buy no products from multi-national corporations for a week / month.

Multi-national corporations are evil, capitalist, men-led, men-owned companies who work only for massive profit, abusing human rights and the environment in the process. They relentlessly push us to spend a fortune (money we can little afford) on dangerous, unhealthy, unnecessary mass-produced goods to the detriment of our health and many people.
Each time we buy from a multi-national corporation, we are essentially saying "yes" to them, making a statement that we support them. Each time we say "no", don't buy their product, and buy a locally-produced, environmentally-friendly, fairly-traded one instead, we are using our consumer power to object to the tremendous damage they do. And once you have begun this girlcott, you will begin to realise what good you can do… don't buy from them for a month… then don't buy from them ever again!

Stop dieting… forever

Not only does dieting not work, it is unhealthy, dangerous, expensive and unnecessary. Through the mass-media, society tells us that emaciation = beauty, when in fact it serves only to weaken womyn so we remain passive and take up no space in the male-oriented world. Challenge this! Subvert it! Eat, and learn to ENJOY eating!