On Doing Your Bit

Now that we have the formalities out of the way- we've introduced ourselves in an introductory post, and Vida has shared with you her first eloquent and beautifully written train of thought (just a warning: my posts will never be as much of a joy to read), I figure it's time for me to sit down and actually, you know, write something. I mean bloody hell, Daisy (Queen of Procrastination), we've had this blog for at least a month now.

The first post, from me to you, is not, in fact, my own tale. Because I am lazy and have a shit ton of art coursework to finish (yay). It is instead something rather funny that my Mum told me when she got home from work yesterday; but if you're a sassy chick with a fine sense of humour (which I am sure all of our 0 followers are/have) then you should be able to appreciate it nevertheless.

Mum works at LSE. For those of you who don't know, 'LSE' is shorthand for the London School of Economics and Political Science. It is situated in Aldwych and is able to pride itself for being one of the top Universities in the country- probably the world. In some way or another, the school gets a whole bunch of magazines which they then give out to staff and students for free. Fine. Of course this is a great thing. Free stuff. When is free stuff ever not a great thing?

According to my Mum, free stuff stops being a great thing when it starts to consist of free copies of FHM, the front covers of which are more often than not used to display photographs of near enough naked women (!!!!!!!!!!! Right on, Mama Keefe!!!!!!!!!!))))))))

'I was shocked, more than anything,' explained Mama Keefe to me, 'that this school, which has always been able to say it provides equal opportunities regardless of gender, could have such a blasé attitude towards the encouragement of demeaning and inappropriate images of women being easily available for public viewing. And for free!' (YES MUM. YOU GO GIRL.)

Then Mum proceeded to tell me the best bit. Apparently she was with one of her work mates when she saw these boxes full of disgrace, ready to be given out. 'I felt like a rebellious fifteen-year-old' she said in between the snorts in her laughter. She said that her and her mate decided that just to make a point, they would carry the boxes to the bins and be rid of them forever. The thought of my Mum carrying some ten boxes full of magazines down endless flights of stairs to the nearest bins- cigarette in hand, undoubtedly, made me laugh the exact same, piggy laugh (apparently snorts are hereditary). I literally welled up with pride that even in her middle-aged state (sorry, Mum), Mama Keefe can still stand up for what she believes in.

I've got absolutely no idea how much trouble Mum got into for binning a load of the school's property, but I think there's a message in here for everyone. You don't need to be radical to be a feminist, but you do need to do your bit, because it all adds up to bring about change. I at least know that LSE shall no longer be supporting FHM, for sure.

Daisy