[TOP 10 TUESDAY] Commemorating the 100th International Women's Day

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus due to the massive amounts of schoolwork I have yet to catch up on and the sudden influx of web site work.

But what better day to come back than International Women's Day. Happy International Women's Day if you're a reader with a vagina!

I'm dedicating my Top 10 Tuesday to women's issues and inspiration because I do consider myself a bit of a feminist. Because I hate that men still make more money than women. Because I hate that women are conditioned to hate themselves. Because I hate that in some parts of the world, women are second-class citizens and even property. And I absolutely hate that religion is sometimes used to justify it.

But women have come a long way over the past century - there's no denying that.

1: The Million Woman March in EgyptEgyptian women are staging a 'Million Woman March' today after the new prime minister appointed only one woman to his cabinet. Though they fought for their nation’s freedom, some women now fear they are being sidelined in the process of building the new Egypt.

Egypt has made great strides in women's right over the recent years but women feel that the revolution isn't over yet. Read the Full Article on CSmonitor.com

2: The Mean Girls SyndromeEvery day women are crtiicized, degraded and made to feel inferior. The sad thing is that most times, it's by other women. We as women know this because we are guilty of it.

Skank. Whore. Bitch. Cunt. Girls have used these words in agression and criticism towards other women for ever but until recently, we didn't realize that it was a form a bullying. The kind of bullying that can kill a girl's already-fragile self-esteem.

But why do we do it? Why don't we stop?

3: Corrective Rape in South Africa"Corrective Rape" is a term used to describe when a man rapes a lesbian with the aim of 'turning' her heterosexual. This heinous crime is prolific in South Africa, especially in the 'townships'.

This isn't just a crime against lesbians, it's a crime against women. In doing this, the men are taking away a woman's right to be who she was born to be, feel what she was born to feel and love the way she was born to love.

In the last 10 years, 31 lesbian women have been murdered because of their sexuality, more than 10 are raped or gang raped in Cape Town alone per week, and for every 25 men accused of rape in South Africa, 24 walk free. Despite all this, hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation are not recognized by South African law.

In other words, a woman's right to love is not not recognized by South African law.

Facts via Change.Org | Read More on Time.com

4: Self-Inflicted HateStudies have shown that women are more likely to inflict self-harm than men. The question is where does all that pain, anger and hate come from and what are we doing about it?


5: Eating Disorders & the Standard of BeautyWomen are much more likely than males to develop an eating disorder. They are three times as likely to experience anorexia and bulimia, and 75% more likely to have a binge eating disorder. [SOURCE]

It's hard to say that perpetuating a certain standard of beauty in out media has nothing to do with women becoming obsessed with their weight. While fashion glossies and advertisements are not the only ones to blame, they do reinforce a certain look - that which is to be desired, that which is to be glorified. I think society as a whole has made girls uncomfortable in their own bodies.

In the UK, 1 in 100 women aged between 15 and 30, suffers from anorexia. Reports show girls as young as five years of age have weight concerns, and think about going on a diet. [SOURCE]

6: The Two-Finger Rape Test in IndiaThis one made me sick to my stomach, but apparently in parts of India, doctors rely "Two-Finger" Test to verify rape. The two-finger rape test involves a doctor inserting fingers in a rape victim's vagina to determine its "laxity" and decide if she is "habituated to sex." Defense lawyers often use this evidence to discredit the testimony of unmarried rape victims, who are dismissed as "loose women".

Read the Full Article @ WomensNews.org

7: Women Are More Than Baby-MakersLast month, a Republican-sponsored bill came under fire over language that undercuts a longstanding exemption on the ban on using federal money for abortions in the case of rape or incest; the measure narrows the definition of rape to "forcible rape", a term that was never defined.

Due to accusations of Republicans trying to redefine rape, the "forcible rape" language was dropped. The bill, however, would cut federal funding from programs like Planned Parenthood.

8: James Bond in DragWomen are responsible for 2/3 of the work done worldwide but only earn 10% of the total income... So are we equals?


9: FeminismFor some strange reason, many women don't want to be labeled as feminist. Maybe it's the "ugly feminist" stereotype or the "angry feminist" or the "man-hater". Maybe most women don't see a reason to be feminists anymore, especially if in their country, like here in the US, women are pretty much equal. But the key words are "pretty much".

Plus, it's International Women's Day and in some countries, feminist are still needed.


10: Women Will Transform the World"Women will transform the world. The world will not change without us doing it, and I see it everywhere I go. Nothing's going to change until the women have absolute authority. Not power -- I hate that word, "power" -- but the authority that they need. And they're aiming for it; they're working for it."
~ Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her work to bring peace to Northern Ireland, via The Huffington Post