Volume 80 | Issue 15

SALIENT Victoria University Feminist Organisation Presents Salient

31 JULY 2017

DEMOCRACY 31 July–4 August WEEK panels . talks . debates FULL PROGRAMME:

12.30–1.30PM EACH DAY IN THE HUB victoria.ac.nz/democracy-week

Monday 31 July IF YOUNG PEOPLE VOTED Why do so many New Zealanders under 30 avoid the ballot box? Can we change that? And what would our political landscape look like if we saw a ‘youthquake’ as in the recent UK election?

Andrew Becroft children’s commissioner Rory Lenihan-Ikin VUWSA president Laura O’Connell Rapira Rock Enrol cofounder Josiah Tualamali’i Pacific Youth Leadership and Transformation Council chair and more! Chair: Bronwyn Wood Victoria citizenship education expert

Tuesday 1 August MAKE NEW ZEALAND VOTE AGAIN What would it take to halt the creeping decline in political engagement and inject some life into twenty-first century democracy? #dogsatpollingstations? Or something more fundamental?

Kate McMillan Victoria comparative politics expert John Dryzek University of Canberra democracy and governance expert Megan Whelan RNZ’s community engagement editor Chair: Bryce Edwards New Zealand politics expert

Wednesday 2 August WELLINGTON CENTRAL CANDIDATES’ DEBATE Will Grant Robertson (Labour) stave off challengers James Shaw (Green), Geoff Simmons (TOP) and Nicola Willis (National) to hold on to his capital city crown? The gloves are off.

Moderator: Marc Wilson Victoria political psychology expert

Thursday 3 August POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING: NEWS FEEDS VERSUS NEWSPAPERS Party strategists come to the party to talk strategy in an age of social media. We ask: Should any politician, ever, be on Snapchat?

David Farrar pollster and Kiwiblog editor (National) Danyl Mclauchlan novelist and Dim-Post blogger (Green) Rob Salmond political analyst, blogger (Labour) Jennifer Lees-Marshment University of Auckland political marketing expert Chair: Kate McMillan Victoria comparative politics expert

Thursday 3 August, 5.30pm, Memorial Theatre, Student Union Building FILM SCREENING: NO (2012) Gael García Bernal plays an ad exec tasked with creating a campaign to defeat President Pinochet in Chile’s historic 1988 referendum.

“The best movie ever made about Chilean plebiscites”—The New Yorker.

93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Free entry with your Victoria University ID.

Friday 4 August WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? With declining voting and low youth turnout, New Zealand’s democracy isn’t in tip-top shape. But let’s be honest, it can always get worse! Our panellists imagine a dark future— and how we might avoid it.

Max Harris The New Zealand Project author Bronwyn Hayward University of Canterbury political science expert Simon Jackman CEO, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney Chair: Holly Walker ex-MP, The Whole Intimate Mess author

Editor — Cole Hutchinson

Contact — editor@salient.org.nz 04 463 6766

Designers — Eun Sun Jeong and Ellyse Randrup

Level 2, Student Union Building Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600, Wellington

News Editor — Brigid Quirke News Reporters — E A Tombs, Harry Clatworthy, Jack Cammock, Liam Powell, Matt Currill, Micky Durrant, Samantha Gordon Feature Writers — Katie Meadows, Hannah Amundsen, Aliyah Winter, Jasmine Koria, Hannah Hawkins Elder, Kate McIntyre, Grace Visser, Johanna and Brittany Cosgrove Chief Sub-Editor — Georgia Lockie Distributor — Darren Chin Arts Editor — Cameron Gray Section Editors — Annelise Bos (Podcast), Cameron Gray (Games), Finn Holland and Mathew Watkins (Film), Hanahiva Rose (Visual Art), Katie Meadows (Television), Kimberley McIvor (Books), Olly Clifton and Lauren Spring (Music), Sean Harbottle (Theatre) Contributors — Alex Feinson, Anya Maule, Kahu Kutia, Jasmine Koria, Livnè Ore, Blair and Roxanna, Sasha Beattie, Ana Hassan, Kit Taylor, Emilie Hope, Laura Sutherland, Samantha Gordon, Wellington Tremayne, Jess Nicholson, Puck, Aubergine and Celeste Advertising — Grace Gollan grace.gollan@vuwsa.org.nz 04 463 6982

Printing — Service Printers 258 Taranaki Street, Wellington Paper — Sun 90gsm Salient is printed on environmentally sustainable paper, with vegetable ink, and is completely FSC approved.

Typefaces — Wedge by Bruce Rotherham, Adobe Caslon Pro and Charlemagne by Carol Twombly About Us — Salient staff are employed by, but editorially independent from, the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA).

Salient is a member of, syndicated, and supported by the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA).

Salient is partially funded by Victoria University students, through the student levy. Opinions expressed are not necessarily representative of those of VUWSA, ASPA, Service Printers, or the editorial staff.

Complaints — Please email editor@ salient.org.nz and if not satisfied with response contact VUWSA. Salient — 31 July, 2017 Volume 80, Issue 15 Cover & Back Art — Emerita Baik

CONTRIBUTORS & COLOPHON

CONTENTS Editor’s Letter.......................................9 Notices...............................................61 Mana Wāhine Exhibition...................32 — Hannah Amundsen News General News.....................................11 Sex work and self care: The taboo of the unrepentant whore...................38 VUW (sort of ) listens to — Anonymous (some) feedback, may retain Head of Hall.......................................14 REAL-LIFE TEST...........................42 — Aliyah Winter Gonzo Feature: Sea-sick on a little boat.......................15

Words of Wisdom..............................45 — Jasmine Koria

Politics Help, my mum is disenfranchised.......16 Great Expectations? Yeah, right..........48 The Party Line....................................17 — Hannah Hawkins Elder Opinion An An Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor — Living Wage For Vic Campaign..............................18

We need to move beyond incarceration...........................52 — Kate McIntyre Columns VUWSA.............................................20 Te Ara Tauira......................................21 One Ocean..........................................21 The Queer Agenda..............................22 Access Denied.....................................22 Shit Chat............................................23

NOPESISTERS................................50 — Johanna and Brittany Cosgrove The misogyny in gender expression: A nonbinary perspective.....................51 — Grace Visser

Arts Poem...................................................24 Music..................................................54 Podcast...............................................55 Books..................................................56 Theatre...............................................57 Television...........................................58 Games................................................59 Visual Art..........................................60

Features Puzzles................................................62 LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE: Horoscope..........................................63 On Britney Spears, mental illness and public stigma................................26 — Katie Meadows

Apply now for a scholarship for the new Bachelor of Health at Victoria in 2018 The first life you’ll improve will be your own.

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Editor’s letter Kia ora e hoa!

This week’s issue of Salient is presented to you by the Victoria University Feminist Organisation (VicUFO) to celebrate our annual Women’s Week. This past year has seen a lot of changes within our representative group, the biggest change being our name — formerly the VUWSA Women’s Group. The name change embodies the evolving values of the group, shifting from solely focusing on women, to being more inclusive and intersectional. While we acknowledge that not all women identify as being feminist, we felt that shifting the term from women to feminist encompassed gender minorities and those previously excluded by the use of a gendered term.

Intersectional feminism is a branch of feminism originating from Black feminist circles, and was introduced to feminist theory by Kimberelé Crenshaw.

It recognises that oppressive institutions are interconnected and should not be examined separately from one another. It contrasts to earlier waves of feminism that can be characterised as “white feminism”, catering to the white, middle class, and socially and physically abled female experience.

Through intersectionality we are able to recognise that we all experience different power dynamics based on our individual and unique identities, and that forms of oppression are interlinked and cannot be solved alone.

In this issue, we have accumulated writers of diverse identities to give an insight into the varying challenges faced within these institutions. It is important when reading these pieces to self-reflect and recognise the privileges your identity affords you, while also decentering your perspective to open up to understanding the experiences of others.

Women’s Week this year is focused on celebrating the creativity and diversity of wāhine, women, and gender minorities. We have various events throughout the week and would love to see you there. Check out the schedule on the opposite page, as well as Facebook for more information. ♥ Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue and to those involved with the planning of Women’s Week, your hard work is greatly appreciated. ♥ Kia ora rawa atu, — Cole Hutchinson (VicUFO President)

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News

NEWS MUMPS OUTBREAK SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY HOODWINKED FOR 130 YEARS LABOUR ANNOUNCE EDUCATION POLICY DRAMATIC DECLINE IN POST-STUDY WORK VISA ACCEPTANCE PAPUA NEW GUINEA ELECTION NEW WATER SOURCE FOR WELLINGTON

VUW (SORT OF) LISTENS TO (SOME) FEEDBACK, MAY RETAIN HEAD OF HALL GONZO FEATURE: SEA-SICK ON A LITTLE BOAT

POLITICS HELP, MY MUM IS DISENFRANCHISED THE PARTY LINE

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News NEWS

MUMPS OUTBREAK The Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) reported an outbreak of the mumps virus in Auckland on July 3, following a significant increase in the number of cases being investigated. 184 cases have been reported this year, as of July 25.

ARPHS stated that there were five new cases in Auckland being investigated every day, a huge increase from less than 20 cases reported in Auckland during 2016.

Julia Peters, Clinical Director of ARPHS, told Salient that the most probable reason for the huge increase in cases was from “people who have caught mumps overseas and come back to New Zealand with it,” with cases confirmed as having come from Fiji, Tonga, Japan, and Tuvalu.

The increase has also impacted the Waikato and Wellington, with public health officials from both regions releasing information about a significant increase since September 2016.

Lucy Kingsbeer from the Hutt Valley District Health Board told Salient that public health officials in the Wellington region were “watching the situation in Auckland and Waikato carefully and following up any suspected cases of mumps promptly.”

Mumps is a viral illness that is spread by direct contact with infected saliva, producing symptoms such as fever, headache, swollen glands, neck pain, and vomiting, with 15% of cases resulting in viral meningitis.

Those who are not vaccinated against the mumps disease are most at risk, with public health officials recommending that the best prevention method is through immunisation at 15 months and four years of age with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR).

New Zealand has had historically low rates of child immunisation.

The National Childhood Immunisation Coverage Survey, conducted in 2005, showed that only 77 per cent of children were fully immunised at the age of two years old. In 2009, the Unicef State of the World’s Children report showed New Zealand ranked 33 out of 35 developed nations for measles vaccinations.

With the current outbreak, Peters has stated that “the best way of bringing this outbreak under control is for everybody to ensure that they have two doses of the vaccine, which is free for all New Zealand citizens and residents.”

— Samantha Gordon

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY HOODWINKED FOR 130 YEARS A new species of the giant ocean sunfish has been found in New Zealand waters. It was discovered and formally described by an international team of researchers led by Murdoch University student Marianne Nyegaard.

It is the first new species of sunfish to be discovered in 130 years.

The discovery was the result of four years of work by Nyegaard, who began to notice genetic differences in sunfish samples from New Zealand while studying their genetics as part of her PhD. “A Japanese research group first found genetic evidence of an unknown sunfish species ten years ago, but the fish eluded the scientific community because we didn’t know what it looked like,” Nyegaard said.

“Finding these fish and storing specimens for studies is a logistical nightmare due to their elusive nature and enormous size.”

Over a three-year period, Nyegaard travelled thousands of kilometres to collect samples from 27 specimens that had washed up on remote beaches.

Sunfish are the heaviest of all bony

fishes; some specimen weigh more than 2000kg, and they can grow up to three metres long. The new species is thought to reach a similar size.

The fish was named the Mola tecta (Hoodwinker Sunfish), from the Latin tectus, meaning “hidden”, due to its elusive nature.

“This is an exciting discovery, and right in our own backyard,” Professor Jeff Shima, Director of Victoria University’s Coastal Ecology Lab, told Salient.

“Sunfish are remarkable fish. They are bizarre in appearance, and look like a swimming fish head. This new specimen from New Zealand waters is classified as a new species because, [...] although it closely resembles its better known cousin the Mola mola, it appears to be genetically distinct.”

— Harry Clatworthy

LABOUR ANNOUNCE EDUCATION POLICY The Labour Party has confirmed three years of free tertiary education for all New Zealanders if elected to government, following the announcement of their education policy on July 21.

The policy, which targets all levels of education, will inject $4 billion into the sector over four years.

Early childhood education will receive increased funding and more qualified teachers. At the school level, the National Party’s controversial National Standards, which evaluate the performance of primary school students against their peers, are to be abolished.

NCEA is also to be re-evaluated, with Hipkins stating at the policy’s announcement that NCEA was not being used “as it was envisaged when [it] was introduced.”

“What was intended was an ‘exitlevel’ qualification,” Hipkins told reporters. “So kids might do Level One or Level Two or Level Three.

12 Now most kids are doing all three levels, and they’re doing a mix of internal and external assessment, which means that they’re basically spending most of their time either being assessed or preparing for assessments.”

“It’s just too much.”

Additionally, Labour intends to discourage school fees that masquerade as “donations” by giving $150 per student per year to schools that do not ask parents for donations.

Despite the large cost, affordability at the individual level is the policy’s key theme. “Our ultimate goal is to get back to the principle of free education,” Labour’s education spokesperson Chris Hipkins told Salient.

However, the policy has been criticised by Finance Minister Steven Joyce as being an example of Labour “spending more and getting less.”

He also pointed out that it “is almost in every sense identical to their 2014” policy.

Labour’s intention is to streamline tertiary education to suit New Zealand’s small size and Labour Leader Andrew Little stated we need “tertiary institutions that drive excellence in teaching and research.”

Labour has pledged to review the Tertiary Education Commission, which serves to link government with universities, describing it as currently no more than a “bureaucratic box-ticking exercise.”

Hipkins described the Tertiary Education Commission as focusing on quantity of education and not quality. Despite being established by the Labour Government as a “strategic decision maker,” Hipkins said that “the truth is that it’s still very much a bums-on-seats model” that develops unnecessary competition.

The policy as a whole was described by Little as Labour “reaffirming” their commitment to a “world-class free education system that’s accessible to everyone.”

— Liam Powell

News

DRAMATIC DECLINE IN POST-STUDY WORK VISA ACCEPTANCE A developing trend in declining Employer Assisted Post Study Work Visa applications has seen 110 of 222 applicants declined in May 2017 in Auckland Central’s Immigra -tion office.

Data obtained through the Official Information Act shows tha t the rate at which applications are being declined at the Auckland Central Office has risen from 5% in January 2016 to 49.5% in May 201 7.

To apply for a Post Study Work Visa – Open, applicants must have an “acceptable” New Zealand qualification and may work for any employer.

For a Post Study Work Visa – Employer Assisted application, however, applicants must also “have an offer of full-time work in the same area as [their] qualification.”

Licensed immigration adviser Maricel Weischede told the Herald that the application process relies on the assessment by each Immigration Officer as to what is satisfactory, and is “clearly unpredictable.”

The Henderson Immigration office processed 366 applications in May, declining only 39. The difference in application acceptance rates at this office has been attributed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment to the fact that applications processed by the Henderson office are usually submitted through a licensed immigration adviser, rather than directly by the individual, making them more likely to be successful.

According to the Immigration Advisers Authority website, there are a number of people who are not licensed advisers but are legally eligible to give immigration advice.

The dramatic increase of declined applications observed in the Auckland Central office follows a pattern evident in city centres across the country.

23 out of 85 applications were declined by Christchurch’s Immigration office in May, an increase of 20% since May 2016. 12 of the 163 applications processed by Wellington’s office in May 2017 were declined, a notable increase from the minimal rates observed in May 2016.

Immigration New Zealand Area Manager Marcelle Foley told the Herald that Visa applications are “rigorously assessed on a case by case basis” and could be declined for a “wide range of reasons.”

The increases in application declines mark a concerning trend for international students studying in New Zealand.

Research officer at the University of Waikato and Migrant and Refugee Rights Campaign spokesperson Arama Rata was unable to speculate on the exact decision making processes occurring within immigration offices, but told Salient that migrants and international students in New Zealand are increasingly becoming victims of “xenophobic scapegoating.”

She said that government policy had initially promoted migration to New Zealand for economic reasons, but strains on social infrastructure had seen public opinion towards migrants decline over the last decade.

“Migrants have been treated like political footballs,” Rata reflected.

— Jack Cammock

PAPUA NEW GUINEA ELECTION Violence and procedural failures have marred Papua New Guinea’s 2017 general election.

Voting closed on July 8, with 3332 candidates contesting 111 seats in the National Parliament, the body tasked with electing a new Prime Minister.

Wabag, capital of the Enga province, remained in lockdown for five days after a gunfight between rival supporters. Police confirmed four

13 fatalities, with clashes part of an ongoing dispute over vote counting procedure in the electorate.

Tensions arose over returning officer Ben Bosawe’s decision to not count at least fourteen ballot boxes, despite the Electoral Commissioner’s instructions to include them in the vote. A peaceful protest was staged in Wabag on July 21 by supporters of various candidates, urging Bosawe to adhere to the Commissioner’s directive.

The Pacific Islands Forum, in an interim report, noted that it was “disappointing that a large number of Papua New Guinea citizens were disenfranchised of their constitutional rights to vote, particularly given the high levels of civic awareness and interest in participating.”

Prior to the election, a polling station at the University of Papua New Guinea received only around 1300 blank ballot papers despite a 4000 strong voting population. Students at the University of Technology in Lae set fire to ballot papers after only 1500 were provided for a voting population of approximately 5000.

The Pacific Islands Forum identified reports of an “alarming number of names” absent on the electoral roll. Cases were reported of residents, despite living in the electorate and having previously voted, arriving at polling stations to find their names missing on the roll.

On July 28, the Electoral Commissioner will present all returned writs to the head of state, identifying the new parliament. Incumbent PM Peter O’Neill, winner of the Ialibu-Pangia District, and his governing People’s National Congress (PNC) hold a majority of 16 in the 46 declared seats, as at July 25. The Alliance, a new coalition between the National Alliance, Pangu, and People’s Progress parties and numerous independents and minority parties, present the biggest opposition to the incumbents.

— Matt Currill

News

NEW WATER SOURCE FOR WELLINGTON In a world first operation, attempts are being made to drill beneath the Wellington Harbour to tap into a fresh water resource.

The Kaikōura earthquake in 2017 exposed the reliance of both Wellington and Porirua on feeder pipes to deliver fresh water from other city centres in emergency situations.

Wellington Water’s Alex van Paassen told Salient that Wellington is at “significant risk of being without water after an earthquake,” due to the feeder pipes’ proximity to numerous fault lines. A large earthquake has the potential to leave Central and Eastern Wellington without a water supply for up to 100 days.

Wellington Water is therefore investigating potential emergency water bore sites in Porirua and Wellington, including under the Wellington Harbour.

Wellington’s Waiwhetu Aquifer currently supplies Wellington and Lower Hutt with fresh water.

The confined aquifer extends from Boulcott, Lower Hutt and continue beneath the Wellington Harbour.

While the part of the aquifer that extends out to the harbour is currently inaccessible, the project seeks to tap into the resource as an emergency water supply.

Wellington Water collaborated with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) to verify the best location from which to drill the aquifer.

The drilling process, carried out

by McMillan Drilling, requires a combination of barge and drill rig equipment. This includes precautions to ensure the aquifer is not contaminated by seawater or other life that would impair its condition.

The project’s first drilling attempt coincided with the turbulent weather of the last few weeks and was there-

fore unsuccessful. A second trial was attempted, successfully breaching the aquifer at a depth of 50 metres below sea level. Water samples collected from the aquifer were sent for testing to determine their quality.

The project’s next phase will be further extraction of water from the existing cavity in order to test flow and quality.

The ultimate aim is to treat and dispense the water gathered from under the harbour into the city’s water network. In the event of a civil emergency, van Paassen said that Wellington Water would endeavour to “distribute it as best we could to the community.”

— Micky Durrant

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News

VUW (SORT OF) LISTENS TO (SOME) FEEDBACK, MAY RETAIN HEAD OF HALL

After significant backlash against a consultation document proposing changes to Student and Campus Living, released on May 24, VUW have proposed the retention of the Head of Hall position in all but one of the halls of residence.

The original document proposed the removal of Head of Hall roles at all halls, and the disestablishment of University Hall altogether.

In the Final Outcome of Change Process document obtained by Salient, it is proposed that the Head of Hall role will be now be retained at Weir House, Willis Street, Capital, Katharine Jermyn, Joan Stevens, and Boulcott halls.

The role will be significantly restructured, removing the operational and property responsibilities that Heads of Halls currently exercise. Instead, the sole focus for Heads of Halls will be pastoral care and critical incident response.

The document also proposes a new Deputy Head of Hall role for these halls, to provide senior support to the Head of Hall. Either the Head or Deputy Head of Hall “would be located on-site during high risk periods related to pastoral care needs and critical incidents,” although these periods are not defined.

Consequently, in a “fiscally driven” move, the Residential Life Manager in Weir House, Willis Street, Capital, Katharine Jermyn, Joan Stevens, and Boulcott halls will be disestablished, to reflect the shift in the responsibilities to the new Deputy Heads of Halls. The Residential Life Manager previously lived on-site and managed the Residential Advisers (RAs), who are the first point of contact for students.

For a resident of Capital Hall that Salient spoke with, disestablishing the on-site Residential Life Manager role without an on-site Head of Hall “makes no sense.” The resident was concerned that, if a major incident occurs, “there would be nobody senior enough to deal with it immediately, [because] the RAs have no power.”

University Hall provides self-catered accommodation for international and domestic students in 62 houses and flats around the Kelburn campus. University Hall’s RA and Kiwi Mates roles, which aid in

pastoral care and support for international students, will be “reviewed for 2018.”

Furthermore, University Hall will operate without a Head of Hall, but will retain the Residential Life Manager role, widening the latter’s responsibilities to include all international students in VUW accommodation.

The practicalities of this “widening” remain unclear.

The VUW Postgraduate Student’s Association President, Jordan Anderson, told Salient that the “complete flip” in attitude towards pastoral care between the first proposal document and the Final Outcome document had left VUW rushing to catch up with the reality indicated by the backlash.

Anderson said that this had resulted in a major “lack of detail” in proposals regarding the services provided by University Hall, where some residents were “outraged” by initial proposals.

“PhD students are in the most vulnerable position, [...] to even consider destabilising their accomodation was outrageous.”

“The whole thing was driven by money.”

Rainsforth Dix, Student and Campus Living Director, told Salient that final decisions on University Hall have been “postponed,” but those families who already have a tenancy can “remain where they are.” It is unclear on how long VUW will allow PhD students to “remain” in university accommodation.

The Final Outcome document pushes for “focused roles” delivering exceptional student satisfaction. Uncertainties remain as to the purpose of such a change; in the 2017 Halls of Residence Mid-Year Survey Results, 75% of students rated their experience as “very good” or “excellent”.

A Weir House resident that spoke with Salient said that “I honestly can’t see any reason for a change.”

“The support network we have in place works well.”

— E A Tombs

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News

GONZO FEATURE: SEA-SICK ON A LITTLE BOAT

On July 26, around one thousand students pack into the Hunter Lounge for one of the biggest US headlines to have graced the venue — Lil Yachty. The recent shift of the bar to one side of the room opens the venue’s floor to a crowd who swarm in, wide eyed and Patagonia-clad, a sea of fresh faces looking to have “the most lit night, man.”

The smell of vomit and Red Bull is overwhelming.

A girl takes cup after cup of FREE WATER and hurls it into the crowd. A guy leans against the back wall of the bar, eyes closed and swaying uncontrollably, while his girlfriend tries to dance with him. And so, Lil Yachty begins.

Within a few minutes of being in the crowd, I’m slicked with the sweat of at least two dozen other people. Hands. Elbows. Boners. Everyone’s pushing, but in good spirits; the spilt beer and quality (or lack thereof ) of the opening acts not deterring anyone. Strangely, after a loudly-sung rendition of “Lose Yourself ” from behind the stage, Yachty sort of just appears, launching into his set without any discernable introduction. Sarah (or Sam?) screams that she loves him; meanwhile her friends flirt with the security guards to be let up to the much-coveted mezzanine — where only the likes of VUWSA, Captain Rory, and some weird guy with a camera have access to.

Everything is wet. The floor, the people, the air.

While Yachty’s nautical theme pervades his lyrics, the extent to which the evening was dripping can’t be intentional, if those in the safe room with their arms in slings are any indication. I watch a guy slip from a stool and nearly crush the three girls who are dancing below him. They are, of course, unfazed.

Josh, who studies commerce and is originally from Auckland, “is having a fucking mean night,” but and “is completely fucked, like I don’t even know what I took and fuck it’s hot.” Josh, who is “definitely not a first year,” is not the only one — wide eyed, members of the crowd move inhibitionless, Snapchatting and shouting the lyrics of crowd favourites “iSpy” and “Broccoli”, while seeking out plastic cups of water. Most of the crowd appears content with being

swept up in the (literal) heat of the event, although others make comments about the poor lighting and soundbite-length “bangers” where Yachty cuts his verses short.

Yachty himself is apprehensive at times, calling to the crowd to “turn it up,” but cautious after the horrific spill in Auckland the night before. He wants a mosh pit — everyone move to one side of the room! — but nervously preempts the potential for disaster — we need to be safe guys, do it safe. The final song, “1 Night”, has the crowd in their element. A guy who looks like Josh perches on his friend’s shoulders, topless and swinging a white t-shirt above his head. I watch the wave of water/sweat/beer lightly shower those below him.

Post-event, the lights turn on and the crowd clears, somewhat stunned by the shock of the bright neon.

Despite the apprehension and short set, spirits remain high, with one person describing the show as “incredibly sweaty, best hype up DJ turned things up to 11/10 with the best bangers of 2017.”

Another told Salient that “[Yachty’s] braaaaaaaids made me wanna cum.”

— Brigid Quirke

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POLITICS HELP, MY MUM IS DISENFRANCHISED

The first election my mum ever voted in was in 1981. Robert Muldoon won his third election that year. She was 19-years old, and she voted for National because her parents voted for them, and she said she did not know any better.

Since then, my mum has voted in every election, except 1990 and 1993 when she was overseas. She has almost always voted National, and kept voting for National because that was what she always did.

My mum is not totally conservative or on the right, because she is always interested and eager to learn about new ideas and policies.

As a family we have had countless lengthy debates about euthanasia, prisons, the living wage, feminism, Brexit, the refugee crisis, and LGBTQIA+ issues, to just name a few. We have all learnt new ideas and perspectives, as well as learnt to adapt to current theories and ideas about society and people, both from these debates and from each other.

However, the 2017 election approaches and my mum does not want to vote. This was a conclusion she made when we were watching the news during the Todd Barclay scandal. She turned to me, defeated, sighed and said: “they’re all liars.”

Now, it is an age-old adage that politicians are untruthful, but the Barclay scandal was the last straw for my mum. She has been through ten election cycles, decades of political ups and downs, and witnessed hundreds of scandals, cover-ups, and lies, and she has had enough.

She has had enough of the old white men being in charge, doing nothing for her or her family, and never prioritising the public good over themselves or the party. Her words, not mine.

But that does not mean she does not care. In fact, she cares quite a lot about the election and the future of New Zealand. But she feels discouraged and distressed about what she is witnessing in the current political climate in the lead up to the election, which is only making her sense of disenfranchisement grow. She’s not angry… she’s just disappointed.

So my mum is starting to look elsewhere to see what political party has ideas and policies that she supports and believes in, and it sure is slim pickings. Anything to the right of National like ACT and NZ First are a no-go for her, and as a lifelong cat-enthusiast she would never vote for Gareth Morgan, so The Opportunities Party is out too.

On the left, it is almost just as bad. She won’t vote for Labour until Jacinda Ardern is party leader (which will most likely be on September 24), so that leaves the Green Party as the only other major party on the left to vote for.

And she is considering it.

As a Green Party supporter, this makes me quite happy. But her reasoning to make this choice does not.

Mum agrees with some of their policies, and likes that there is a female co-leader and many intelligent and diverse women in the party list, but she ultimately wants to vote for them because there is no other party that she feels comfortable casting her vote for.

The 2017 election is also going to be the first time my sister will be able to vote. She is not really interested in politics, but when I asked her who she was going to vote for, she also said the Greens.

Her reasoning for this was the same as my mum’s — she said they seemed the less harmful of the bunch. She feels that no party has offered anything to her (to learn about or be interested in) as an upcoming tertiary student or a first time voter in the election.

She is also pretty down to legalise marijuana.

Both my mum and my sister just want to give someone else a chance to govern the country, and since the Greens are the only other major party on the left… left, they think, “why the hell not let them have a try?”

Being interested in voting or politics is not for everyone, but when the two women closest to you feel completely abandoned and disenfranchised by the system, it is pretty discouraging.

— Alex Feinson

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Politics

THE PARTY LINE According to the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand, “one in every four women has an abortion in her lifetime.” Despite the high number of New Zealand women seeking an abortion at some point in their lives, unlawful abortion is a crime in New Zealand, included in the Crimes Act 1961. There are some circumstances where an abortion is not unlawful, like if pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, or if two certifying consultants agree that continuing pregnancy would seriously harm the mental or physical health of the woman — according to Family Planning New Zealand, 98–99% of abortions are undertaken on the grounds that pregnancy would pose serious danger to a woman’s mental health. If found guilty of administering or procuring an abortion illegally, a person may face up to 14 years in prison. Should abortion be removed from the Crimes Act 1961?

Greens at Vic Yes. — Kayden Briskie

Young Nats — Lower North Island The Young Nats do not have an official stance on this question.

We view it as a conscience issue and therefore one for individuals to make their minds up on, rather than creating a uniform response.

Both sides of the debate have valid points and concerns to raise. On one hand, by removing abortion from the Crimes Act we step closer to more liberalised regulation and increased access for woman while also helping to destigmatise abortion itself.

On the other hand, individuals arguing against the reform see it as a way to ensure only safe and secure abortions occur in New Zealand, and by removing it from the Crimes Act we would require new legislation to protect against unwanted terminations.

The Young Nats encourage the debate and discussion to be had and want our members, and the general voting public, to have the freedom to make their own minds up on the issue.

Vic Labour Yes.

OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION

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Opinion

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE VICE-CHANCELLOR From the Living Wage For Vic Campaign

Dear Professor Guilford, Your responses to questions on the living wage in the Vice-Chancellor Forums have been disappointing to the large and growing number of staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders who support our campaign for the living wage at Victoria. Your responses did not show consideration of this support, and in some important respects presented the living wage in an inaccurate or misleading light. We are publishing this open letter to respond to your statements and to ensure the university community has a balanced understanding of what the living wage would mean for Victoria.

“We do want to get the twenty-odd people in question out of 2500 employees onto the living wage.”

We applaud this commitment and it is good news if there are only around 20 Victoria University employees on rates less than the living wage.

“Staff have shown a commitment to it through lump sum wage increases and the university will go along with that for the next year or two or three, which is what it will take to ensure everyone is paid at the rate of the living wage.”

The living wage needs to happen now.

Victoria University employs experienced workers on hourly rates as low as $15.87 — just $0.12 more than the minimum wage. A commitment to achieve the living wage in the next three years, while experienced staff are on poverty rates of pay close to the minimum wage, is just not good enough.

“We will not sign up to the formal living wage programme or capital letter Living Wage.”

There has been no call for Victoria University to “sign up” to a “formal programme”. The call from the Living Wage Movement, from the TEU, and from thousands of supporters, has been for Victoria to make a commitment to the principle of the living wage, and ensuring all directly employed workers are on at least the living wage is a good first step.

“I won’t hand the university chequebook over to a group of people who I don’t know.”

Nobody is asking for an open cheque.

Paying a living wage is a voluntary commitment. Further, the living wage is calculated in a very transparent manner.

The first New Zealand living wage rate was identified through independent

Opinion

OPINION OPINION OPINION

Isn’t this scaremongering? The impression given is that it would require vast amounts of money to lift the lowest paid directly employed university employees to the living wage. That is simply not the case. It would require a relatively small amount to take this first step — less than the salary of one academic. It is very affordable and will certainly not bring in the statutory managers! Further, the threat of raising fees is an empty one. Victoria University already raises fees by the maximum each year.

Professor Guilford, please listen to the call from the wider community to ensure Victoria University pays all staff enough to live on. Please follow the example of other universities like Oxford, and the Wellington City Council. And please ensure the vision and values of Victoria University are not just lip service.

OPINION

“I don’t want to spend money that might require us to raise student fees or put us in the wrong financial position, for example below the 3% surplus threshold at which statutory managers come in.”

Paying the living wage to directly employed workers at Victoria University is affordable, and the right thing to do.

OPINION

research by Charles Waldegrave and Dr Peter King at the Anglican Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit.

They are experts in their field. The rate has increased each year by the average movement in wages. The methodology is similar to that used around the world where the living wage has been adopted.

The UK living wage rate is acceptable, not only to the many universities which have adopted the living wage, but to over 3000 UK businesses and 50% of UK councils.

OPINION

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Columns COLUMNS

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VUWSA Periods. Approximately half of the population get them, yet they do not garner nearly enough attention or airtime. However, one of the hot topics of this year (other than Donald Trump’s tweets and the global avocado shortage) has been the cost of pads and tampons. In February, Pharmac began its investigation into the possibility of subsidising menstrual products, after a call from a private citizen for this to be looked into. The request was rejected two months later, on the basis that periods were a “normal function” and therefore menstrual products do not meet the requirements of providing a “therapeutic benefit” and did not serve a “health need.” While, for half of the population, monthly bleeding is a normal function, this does not disqualify the health need.

How is this relevant to students? Many students already struggle to meet the basic costs of living. Add the exorbitant price of tampons and pads to the mix and menstruating students will often find themselves in the supermarket aisle, deciding what food item(s) to knock off the shopping list that week so they can afford that $7.99 pack of 16 regular tampons. Oh, but you’ll also need some supers for the really heavy days and probably some minis for the lighter days, a pack or two of pads (for at night), and some liners in case of overflow. Having a period can quickly add up to $30–$40 per month and, if you have to buy it all at once, this is a huge knock to the weekly budget.

If students are going without food, what else are students going without? Last year Wā Collective (a not-for-profit social enterprise which provides affordable, accessible, and sustainable menstrual products to students right on campuses by pairing with students’ associations) conducted a survey to “validate their assumption that students need access to free or subsided menstrual products.” Of the 955 respondents, 75% were current students.

Of those surveyed, 33% said they had skipped class because of not having access to menstrual products. It goes without saying that this is hugely concerning. How can those students be expected to participate as fully as their counterparts if they are restricted access to classes because of a silly tax? This goes to the heart of welfare, equity, and accessibility.

It seems hugely unfair to tax half of the population for something which they cannot avoid — menstrual products are a necessity, not a luxury. Condoms are handed out free, like lollies, but I always run with the analogy that sex is usually a lot easier to refrain from than having a period.

What is being done about it? Since Pharmac has vetoed removing the tax from menstrual products, VUWSA is here to help. We are partnering up with the University to trial access to free pads and tampons on campus, and have partnered with Wā Collective to provide discounted menstrual cups (for the environmentally-conscious student). The exact details for the free menstrual products are being ironed out, but it will mean access to pads and tampons at all three campuses. This will be unveiled in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out.

— Anya Maule, Welfare-Vice President

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Columns

TE ARA TAUIRA #thisonesforourmāmās

ONE OCEAN

I tērā mārama, ka whakaputa te kōrero nā te pāti Act mō ngā mahi o te whānau. E ai ki tētahi, ko te mahi whakatipu tamariki, he mahi mō te whānau nāna te pūtea ki te whakatipu tamariki anake. Wāwau ana te whakaaro nei! Nā Metiria Turei – te takirua o te Pāti Kakariki – tētahi whakautu. I tāna wā, i whakaheke a Turei ki te Manatū Whakahiato Ora. Ko tēnei hei mau tonu ia i ngā pūtea hei awhi i tōna whānau, me tōna tamaiti. He ahua i kitea i te katoa o ngā whānau. He kaha te whawhai mō tātou oranga.

Titiro ki ngā kaupapa whakahaere o te kāwanatanga, ngā ture o tēnei whenua.

He taniwha kei reira. He uaua te mahi ki te whakatipu tamariki i tēnei rā; mō nga māmā, ngā pāpā, ngā koroua, kuia, ngā matakēkē hoki. I kite au tētahi whakaaro pai mā runga Pukamata i tērā wiki.

“In the latest government budget we are investing five times the amount of money into building prisons than social housing. What about the baby mamas who have no one to advocate for them? And imagine if we invested in actual adequate social housing with the money we spend in motels and prisons?”

He aha ngā mea nui hei whakatipu i te whānau? Me kuhu ngā tamariki ki tētahi whare mahana, me hoko kākahu, me hoko kai.

Me āwhinatia e tātou kia haere ngā tamariki ki te kura. Ko ēnei ngā kai hei ora i ngā tamariki i te tuatahi. Ki au nei, ko tētahi āhua o te Mana Wāhine kei waenganui te mahi whāngai mō ngā tamariki. Ko Metiria Turei tēnei, ā, ko tātou māmā katoa tēnei. Nā te whakatauki te kōrero: tangata ako ana i te whare, te turanga ki te marae, tau ana. Tika tērā, ā, i tēnei wiki kei te mihi ki ngā wāhine kaha ki te mahi whakatipu whānau!

I’m going to be honest and say that this is the first time I’ve written a piece about anything even distantly related to LGBTQ+ communities.

Truth is, in regards to sexual orientation and gender, before I came to New Zealand, I didn’t know — and wasn’t allowed to know — much about any person, idea, lifestyle, or preference that was “outside” of the (so-called) “normal” one-man-one-woman-who-havebiological-children ideal.

Is this a cultural ideal? A religious ideal?

For me, it was a bit of both. I grew up literally living next door to a church and, of course, that place was an exclusively heteronormative space wherein it was A-Okay to say things like “he’s so gaaaaaaay” as a joke. I know because I used to laugh at that. I laughed because I was taught to laugh. Anyone who didn’t laugh (no matter what their reasons) was supporting whoever was being made fun of. Looking back, I realise how little opportunity I, and a lot of other Pasifika people, are granted to think and reason for themselves. “That’s bad/weird/ unnatural” because “it just is.” You don’t get to ask why, and stuff even considering saying “I think you’re wrong and we’re all equal!”

I also feel like the knowledge void that I’m still working to fill was/is a result of years of colonialism, and all the walls, rules, and standards that such a long period of oppression has engrained in a lot of Pasifika societies.

Of course,the decolonisation process is ongoing, but I believe we are living in a time where we have increasing opportunities to learn to accept each other and ourselves.

I’m writing this as someone who wants to learn, and who has no excuses anymore for being ignorant.

I need to change.

— Kahu Kutia

— Jasmine Koria

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Columns

QUEER AGENDA “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

— Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II (William Shakespeare) This famous quote might work when trying to persuade someone that there’s no need to buy expensive brand names when the knock-offs are just as good, but when it comes to the realm of identity, names are important. Juliet goes on to tell Romeo to cast off his name, “which is no part of [him],” so that he is able to marry her.

She argues that his qualities would stay the same if he wasn’t called Montague — and yes, this is true. However, by doffingthe identifier Montague, Romeo would be shedding a negative association, and reshaping his personal identity as a man not tied to the family Montague. He would be perceived by others differently. His name matters, otherwise why would so much hang in the balance of his changing it?

Bear with me in this pretentious close text analysis — there is relevance! This year, the previously named VUW Women’s Group rebranded itself as the Victoria University Feminist Organisation (VicUFO). To better reflect the group’s mission, they should get rid of the “Women” identifier in their name — especially since the group had never been just about women in the first place. VicUFO degendered their organisation, making it more inclusive to people who don’t identify as women but still share the same goals, or exist under the gender minority umbrella.

Importantly, VicUFO chose to include “feminist” in their name in an attempt to further de-stigmatise a term that has become fraught with negative connotations. They are making their statement of advocacy clear. More than that, by saying that VicUFO is open to students of all creeds, genders, races, and ages, the organisation is expanding the term to include gender minority and intersectional representation, a goal that UniQ heartily approves of.

— Livné Ore

ACCESS DENIED Yes, you ARE allowed to ask for help!

“But my problems aren’t that bad,” you say as someone hands you a card for Disability Services. Sure, things are a little tough right now, and you’re finding some aspects of study really tricky, but you don’t feel like things are “that bad” yet, and you certainly don’t want to “use up” any help that “truly disabled” students might need.

Well, friend, if you are having trouble (with anything university or life related) you ARE allowed to ask for help. “Lots of people struggle with everyday things and still manage to make it work,” true, but that doesn’t mean your issues are unworthy of help, just because they seem trivial to you, or like something “you should be able to deal with alone.” I’ve spent most of my life (disabled from birth) thinking I wasn’t in dire enough straits to access any help facilities, in both school and general life. It’s only now that I’m my early 30s that I’ve realised that no matter how small I try to make my issue, if something is causing me any problems, then that’s exactly what people like those at Disability Services are there to help with! Learn from my mistakes; reach out for assistance now and try to set yourself up for the best possible outcomes!

Struggling along in studies, having problems with essays and exams etc., could be making things harder then they need to be, especially on yourself and your wellbeing.

If you are able, reach out to the people at Disability Services, Student Learning (for help with exam,writing, and study skills), or student health and counselling services — they are there specifically to help with problems like yours, and no issue is too small. :) — Blair and Roxanna

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Columns

White Women And Other Shit Chat Me here, Whitey McWhiterson, to give my two cents on intersectionality. Naturally.

I’m going to speak about white women here in a similar fashion to how I speak about men: they fucking suck. We fucking suck. Think about it as layers of oppression: just as Men are an oppressive collective that as a group perpetuate the marginalisation of women, White Women are an oppressive collective that as a group perpetuate the relative marginalisation of Women of Colour.

There are more layers to this, of course.

As an able-bodied, (probably? mostly? let me get back to you) straight, cisgendered, white woman, I’m sitting somewhere at the top of the food pyramid. For the sake of this A5 page that I have to convince you I don’t just say these things because I’m a hateful hag, and the fact that your attention is probably already waning what with me throwing around “SJW” terminology, say it with me: White Women Need To Do Better.

To avoid having this conversation again, let me reiterate: generalising men and white women in this way is not gratuitous reductionism. The reason marginalised groups have come to produce discourse such as that of the #MenAreTrash hashtag is because saying some men are trash — or, some white women are trash — allows for individuals to excuse themselves from scrutiny. It allows people to say “oh yeah nah but I’m one of the good ones!” (we’re all the good ones in our own heads, you see) and it allows for the continued dismissal of the opinions of marginalised groups.

I don’t mean to detach myself from this.

I asked a friend of mine if I could publish in Shit Chat this week a rant she’d written about her experiences as a brown girl navigating feminist discourse, and then went ahead assuming it was cool for me to edit that account. I had the best of intentions; the irony of me editing her experiences didn’t even occur to me. Until she called me out, that is. That’s the thing about privilege hey, if you can’t see it you’ve probably got it.

Having failed steps one and two in the Ally’s Handbook for Not Being a Dick (Step One: listen to marginalised groups; Step Two: amplify their voices; and Step Three: confront those at your level of privilege), you don’t get to hear from her today, and instead get to read my attempt at Step Three buried in a flagrant display of self-indulgent white guilt.

White Women — work with me here imagining this as a conceptual collective — exist in a bubble. “Women’s Liberation” was won first and foremost for white women, and White Women learned to discursively assert their rights in the reflection of the ways in which men assert their rights. A mentality was produced mirroring that of men, and that mentality is defined by the assumption that theirs is the universal experience. White Women fight for issues “to be solved in a way that caters to their experience rather than [to] the universal feminist experience.”

Buying THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE t-shirts from some ethically questionable chain store is all very good and well when you refuse to acknowledge things like the Ministry for Women’s report that “Pākehā women earn between $3.00 and $6.00 more per hour than Māori, Pasifika, and Asian women; and $1.00 to $4.00 more per hour than Māori, Pasifika, and Asian men.” Mass producing pink pussy hats in the US is swell when you overlook that trans women of colour have a roughly one in twelve chance of being murdered.

So what is the “universal feminist experience”? Fucked if I know. Again, that’s the thing; there are many layers to lived experience and inequality. Trying to be a good ally — trying to be intersectional in the way we approach feminist discourse — requires taking ownership for privilege and using it to support and promote the diversity of female experience and we, as White Women, are just not doing that.

Again, a little louder for those in the back: White Women Need To Do Better.

Love you, xoxo — Sasha Beattie

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Poem

person.

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ks and my genitals, and I know I know I am more than my loo directly correlates to how many you are too; but my self-worth e money is stuffed into my “likes” I get and how much fak ht. For the most par t, I like g-string at the end of a long nig you or her. who I am, but I would rather be friend.

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, k of a long month of a long life After a long day of a long wee y sorr for the people I love. I am I don’t have the energy to care so do I, and I can’t save you that you feel bad right now, but treading water. from drowning when I’m already ter.

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, nicer, funnier, faster, sexier, Smarter, prettier, taller, thinner re wor ldly, more patient, more whiter teeth, flawless skin, mo anised, always get eight hours logical, more artistic, more org rise, more athletic, climb a of sleep, wake up to see the sun , be a billionaire and own your fuc king mountain or some shit own house. h too much and not enough.

Sometimes I think that I am bot e kind of sometimes.

I am always thinking about som

— Jess Nicholson

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LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE:

On Britney Spears, mental illness and public stigma

September 10, 2007: Youtube user Chris Crocker uploads a new video “Leave Britney Alone”. Sitting in front of a white sheet, Chris combs through his blonde hair and sobs — “How fucking dare anyone out there make fun of Britney after all she has been through!” The previous night, pop star Britney Spears made a “comeback” performance at the MTV Video Music Awards after several years of erratic behavior. The performance is panned, deemed lacklustre, and slammed by the media, with Britney a shadow of her former peppy self as she wanders about the stage dazed and barely lip syncing to her new single. Chris, a long time Britney fan, is exasperated as he continues his plea: “She lost her aunt, she went through a divorce. She had two fuckin’ kids!

Her husband turned out to be a user, a cheater, and now she’s going through a custody battle. All you people care about is readers and making money off of her. She’s a human! What you don’t realise is that Britney is making you all this money and all you do is write a bunch of crap about her.” In 2007, eight years after the release of her 1999 debut album …Baby One More Time, the public perception of Britney Spears had drastically shifted; the singer who once conjured up imagery of virginity, school uniforms, and sweetness had been replaced by your classic child star gone off the rails. Fast forward to 2017 and the stigma remains; for all her chart topping albums, her grueling tour schedules, and a 20+ year long career in the entertainment industry, Britney is always going to be remembered as that pop star who shaved her head.

While pop culture is often derided as vapid and unimportant, does our treatment of Britney Spears not speak to our wider societal perception of the mentally ill?

Born Britney Jean Spears in McComb, Mississippi, on December 2, 1981, her parents always knew she was destined for stardom. At age eight her mother took her to Atlanta to audition for children’s variety show The Mickey Mouse Club, where she was initially rejected based on her age but eventually cast on the show three years later. The show was a success, and Britney starred alongside future musical contemporaries Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera (and even a young Ryan Gosling), but it was ultimately cancelled in 1996 and the family, then stationed in Atlanta, returned to Mississippi again and Britney enrolled in high school. Britney’s parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, prioritised all their time and money into their daughter’s career, placing a strain on their marriage as Jamie lapsed into alcoholism to cope with stress.

By 1997 Britney was in talks with Lou Pearlman (former manager of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, later convicted and imprisoned for defrauding his clients; it is also alleged he sexually abused many of the young acts he managed) to join a girl group he was assembling, but she declined last minute

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Katie Meadows

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE

in favour of pursuing a solo career. Pearlman obtained an unused Toni Braxton instrumental and recording sessions were booked to produce a professional demo to send out to record companies; three out of four rejected her, saying there was no demand for more female solo acts, but the third, Jive Records, signed the 15-year old. …Baby One More Time was released January 12, 1999; it debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and was certified double platinum within a month. It would go on to become the biggest selling album by a teenage artist — it charted worldwide and sold over ten million copies in its initial year. In a 1999 cover story with Rolling Stone magazine, Britney mused on being a teenage girl with a work ethic different to her peers, on who she was supposed to be dating according to magazines (she was rumoured to be dating touring partner Justin Timberlake of NSYNC at the time — a relationship that would be confirmed in 2000 and continue through until 2003), and how ludicrous she found the uproar about her potential sexuality.

The David LaChapelle cover photo would become iconic, with 17-year old Britney smiling coyly at the camera lying on pink satin sheets in a bra and short shorts. Britney Spears was an instant phenomenon.

After her debut, Britney’s career went from strength to strength, with consecutive number one singles including “Oops!... I Did It Again”, “Stronger”, “I’m a Slave 4 U”, and “Toxic”. She appeared in a slew of popular television shows such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saturday Night Live, and The Simpsons, and in 2002 helmed the teen drama film Crossroads as lead Lucy.

As she developed more creative control in her career, her lyrics reflected on her struggles to reconcile success with the pitfalls and emptiness of fame, particularly in the hit single “Lucky”: “She’s so lucky, she’s a star, but she cries in her lonely heart.” The music video for “Everytime” echoes these sentiments, with the singer depicted franticly trying to escape the flash of the paparazzi camera and maintain normality. After a fight with her partner, she begins to bleed from a head wound and drowns in a bathtub; the camera cuts to a delivery room where a baby is born, implying Britney has been reincarnated and is free to start life anew away from the spotlight. The video’s original ending — Britney overdosing on drugs to commit suicide — was ultimately scrapped for being too dark a narrative.

By the beginning of 2004, Britney’s behavior had become increasingly erratic and was documented daily in tabloids and blogs: “Britney watch” had begun. In January, Britney stunned fans with a surprise marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander (not to be confused with the Seinfeld actor of the same name) at one of Las Vegas’ infamous 24 hour wedding chapels, only to announce the union’s annulment 55 hours later. In March she embarked on the Onyx Hotel Tour to promote her most recent album In The Zone, but a fall in June saw the singer sustain a knee injury requiring surgery and the tour was cancelled after 54 shows. It was on this tour that Britney met Kevin Federline, a backup dancer from California with a fiancé and two young children; after three months of dating he and Britney were engaged in July, and married by September 2004. An MTV show, originally planned to document the Onyx Hotel Tour, was revamped around the couple’s relationship after the tour’s cancellation, and the five episode series Britney and Kevin: Chaotic aired in May. Critics branded the show “career suicide” for Britney, existing purely

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Illustration by Luna Debris

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Katie Meadows

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE

as a testament to the crude narcissism of celebrity (Britney would go on to call Chaotic “the worst thing I’ve done in my career”). In October she announced a career break to start a family, and her first child with Federline, Sean Preston, was born on September 14 the following year. In February 2006, Britney was papped driving her Range Rover with Sean, five months, on her lap, one hand on the wheel and one on her child. Heavily criticised for negligence, she was photographed again in May nearly dropping Sean, who was caught by a member of her security team. She was later seen crying at a toy store.

Her second child with Federline, Jayden James, was born in September, but two months later Britney filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Their divorce would not be finalised in court until July 2007 when the couple finally settled on a custody agreement.

In the wake of her separation from Federline, Britney became a key player in the LA nightclub scene, partying with Paris Hilton and fellow members of the young social elite, as tabloids ate up the rumours of her escalating drug use. After her aunt Sandy died of ovarian cancer in January of 2007, Britney’s partying spiralled further and on February 14 she was admitted into a drug rehabilitation center in Los Angeles, only to check out less than 24 hours later. On February 16 she was spotted by paparazzi crying in her car just before 7.00pm before heading into a closed hair salon, where gleeful paparazzi snapped shots of the pop princess shearing her long hair off with electric clippers. Emerging from the salon, she told the paparazzi waiting outside “[I did it] because of you.” In an interview with TMZ, the salon owner was quoted saying: “The only emotions that she showed was when she said her mom was going to be mad that she was doing this to her hair and she got a little teary eyed, when she all of a sudden realised what she did. She wasn’t very talkative.” After shaving her head, Britney waded through photographers to a nearby tattoo parlour; when an employee asked her why she had buzzed her hair, she said “I don’t want anyone touching me. I’m tired of everybody touching me.” Widely speculated as a breaking point for the pop star, it is also alleged Britney shaved her head as a last minute attempt to prevent positive results for amphetamines in court-ordered follicle testing as part of her custody agreement. The photographs of Britney’s head shaving have become morbidly iconic in mainstream popular culture, from serving as patronising reminders to stay humble, to self-deprecating Instagram memes (“If you can’t handle me at my 2007 Britney, you don’t deserve me at my 2015 Britney”).

After checking into a rehab facility again on February 20 and leaving again less than 24 hours later, Britney was seen attacking a paparazzo’s vehicle with an umbrella. She later apologised for the incident, alleging that she was preparing for a potential film role and became too immersed in the character. On the 22nd she checked into rehab yet again, staying for close to a month.

After time out from the public eye and live performances, Britney made a return to the stage at the September 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in a performance that was heavily lambasted in the media — with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day quoted as saying, “Watching Britney Spears the other night was like watching a public execution. How could the people at MTV, the people around her, not know this girl was fucked up?” The next day Chris Crocker uploaded his video “Leave Britney Alone!”, a teary plea to

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viewers to rescind the judgement being placed on Britney during such a rough time in her life. In October Britney lost primary physical custody of her children, though the reasons were not revealed to the public; on the 26th, the same day as the release of her fifth studio album, Circus, she was seen yelling at a reporter outside a courtroom “Eat it, lick it, snort it, fuck it!” before running back inside crying. On the evening of January 30, 2008, Britney refused to relinquish custody of her children to Kevin Federline, resulting in a three hour standoff as police attempted to enter her house and retrieve Sean and Jayden. When police finally gained entry in the early morning and discovered her to be acting under the influence of drugs (although drug tests later returned negative), she was forcefully removed and hospitalised under a 5150 psychiatric hold, a process caught by the horde of paparazzi and reporters camped outside. Images of Britney strapped to a gurney were front page of every magazine the next day and any information on her condition that could be gleaned from hospital staff was updated online by the hour. Within 24 hours of her hospitalisation, Kevin Federline was granted full indefinite custody of the couple’s children, and Britney was placed under a then temporary court-ordered conservatorship, in what would be the beginning of a long battle, which continues to this day, for the singer to reclaim her autonomy.

A conservatorship, by California law, is a court order enacted when a person is deemed incapable of adequately caring for themselves, due to severe physical or mental limitations, and the individual is placed under the care of a court-appointed minder. While most conservatorships begin as limited arrangements, they can be extended indefinitely until the recipient is able to care for themselves again; at each renewal the individual’s mental capacity is determined by a medical physician or psychiatrist. While under a conservatorship, the individual is forbidden from making any personal, legal, financial, or medical decisions. Britney’s conservatorship contains two sections, personal and business, managed by her father Jamie and lawyer Andrew Wallet respectively. As her primary conservator, Jamie Spears earns $130,000 per year for his duties. Though some restrictions have eased since 2008, there have been few alterations to the initial agreement. The ultimate decision to end the conservatorship belongs to the conservators and the doctors employed by them, who all receive heavy compensation for their involvement in her case. In 2012 TMZ reported that there were no plans to end the conservatorship, with the agreement projected to remain heavily profitable for many years to come. Britney has been performing under a residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas since 2013; initially scheduled as a two year commitment, in 2015 the residency was extended through until the end of 2017, and further extended in early 2017 to an international tour, and has made over $100 million in ticket sales in four years. Despite this, the conservatorship remains, which begs the question: if Britney is well enough to perform live for four years straight, then why the need for her conservatorship? Have Britney’s publicly documented misfortunes become a scapegoat to control her career?

Beyond a handful of vague remarks in interviews, Britney has never directly commented on any official diagnosis that she may or may not have.

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Katie Meadows

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE

In the 2013 E! special I Am Britney Jean she makes a flippant comment about her change in behavior when she performs as being “bipolar” — “I turn into this different person seriously. Bipolar disorder.” — which was then widely circulated online and in tabloids as a public admission. While scouring forums for threads on the topic, I found an array of diagnoses ascribed by die-hard stans and gossip rag hounds, not limited to: clinical depression, bipolar disorder, social anxiety, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and simply “drugs”.

For the fans that believe that Britney does not suffer mental illness, there is a large disconnect between this belief and the implications of her now nine-year conservatorship, with some claiming its entire existence to be an elaborate hoax to protect her privacy. During her February 2008 hospitalisation TMZ reported that “sources” close to Britney “have known for a while that Britney has a very serious mental condition — likely a bipolar disorder that is now in the red zone” due to her heavy substance abuse. All mentions of Britney’s mental health status are redacted from public versions of her conservatorship agreement, while still specifying that the conservatorship is imperative to her coping with day to day life.

The trope of the “troubled child star” isn’t a new one in pop culture; before Britney there was Michael Jackson and Drew Barrymore, just as Lindsay Lohan and Shia LeBeouf were to follow her. While placing any regular person on a pedestal and exposing them to public criticism and rapidly idealising and devaluing their character is cruel in itself, it seems particularly cruel that the celebrity trainwreck narrative puts the blame squarely on the celebrity: yes, pressure can make diamonds, but that saying isn’t going to ring true every time. Among other things, the pressure my own father placed on me to succeed and be perfect left with me my own host of mental illnesses, and thank God none of that was ever printed in a tabloid. At the time of writing this article I am 25-years old, and in 2007 Britney was 26. No one ever told the world about my stays at psychiatric hospitals or my self-destructive coping mechanisms — and I’ve never been on one world tour let alone six — and I still find it an ongoing and difficult process to cope with the overwhelming stigma towards mental illness, and the battle to merely exist as a mentally ill person.

So for all the speculation in this article, disregard it. Everything you assume about Britney Spears, disregard it. As an avid consumer of pop culture and a quote unquote “crazy person”, I always want celebrities to use their platform to be open and honest about their experiences with mental illness, but at the end of the day Britney’s mental health status is none of my fucking business. Britney Spears does not owe us anything. Her struggles are hers to divulge and she has been in situations that would ruin the most stable of us and it’s time we really, truly left her alone.

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e n E i h x ā hibition W a n a M Curated by Hannah Amundsen and Victoria University Feminist Organisation

Mana / Commonly used as a marker of tapu or sacredness that takes form in people, places, and objects. A term created by the atua (gods) and associated with metaphysical force and spiritual power. The word itself does not translate adequately into English, but we can approximate its meaning by combining the ideas of prestige, power, and authority.

Wāhine / Used throughout the Pacific with slight variations, the term denotes the idea of the female aura or a collective of women, but it does so without expressing or suggesting gender roles and is therefore not defined by its English counterpart.

Mana Wāhine / With a literal translation of “women’s power”, one immediately imagines a superhero fighting crime — but it means so much more. It means embracing the intersectionality of being both female and Pasifika.

It draws on thousands of years of indigenous knowledge and migration, resulting in a deep spiritual connection to the ocean and the land. In this contemporary world, mana wāhine belongs to indigenous feminism, cultural renaissance, and the forever shifting use of agency. Dr Teresia Teaiwa described agency as “the capacity of humans to act or to exercise choice; the notion that no human is ever completely powerless.” The mana and agency of wāhine throughout history have paved the way for us today.

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Hannah Amundsen

Mana Wāhine Exhibition

I would like to dedicate this exhibition to the memory of Teresia Teaiwa, the founding lecturer of Pacific Studies at Victoria and the inspiration for this exhibition. Her teachings and poetry awakened me to the importance of indigenous voice through art.

Cultures of the Pacific are endowed with powerful female figures whose legends have been passed down through the generations. A lot of these mythologies are used as an influence for contemporary art works in Mana Wāhine, for example entities such as the Earth Mother, Papa.

Steady remnants of her story have been carried with those who migrated across the south seas. Known by many names, her separation from the sky father created life itself, and we walk unconsciously on her belly, plucking food from her skin to sustain us. All humans are figuratively born from Earth Mother Papa’s womb, and return there after death.

Mana wāhine is echoed throughout the Pacific history, and we drew on this as our inspiration for our collective exhibition.

The exhibition is centred on the artistic agency of a collective of Māori and Pacific women and gender minorities.

We want to celebrate diversity in the Wellington art scene while exploring the different ways in which these artists experience and respond to their culture in times of globalisation. An aspect of this is the cultural renaissance, the rebirth, of indigenous knowledge in a postcolonial state.

My ability to curate an exhibition dedicated to these concepts was in part thanks to the people I have met on this journey, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the wāhine toa (female leaders) who are at the forefront of the cultural renaissance at Victoria University.

The contributing artists come from different backgrounds and a number of them operate outside the fine arts canon.

The works on show are a combination of traditional and contemporary, including painting, sculpture, textile, and video work. The combination of traditional and contemporary work allows us to observe different facets of indigenous art practices. An example of this is the Korowai — a feathered woven cloak made specifically by wāhine — which symbolises a deep connection to indigenous culture. Exhibiting artist

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Sheree Willman appropriates traditional styles of cloak weaving and depicts them on canvas with acrylic paint, combining both indigenous and European art practices, identifying a hybrid identity that is specific to Aotearoa, New Zealand. We can see a similar practise in Pacific artist Tui Gillies’s work, who utilises traditional Tongan tapa cloth and combines them with acrylic paints and mixed media. Her depictions of fefine/wāhine on these tapa canvases denotes connection to mythological wāhine such as Papa whilst addressing contemporary women’s issues through portraiture. This adaption to colonial histories and the intertwining of two cultures is a major theme with the exhibition, as these artists navigate identity in between two worlds, we are allowed a glimpse into their lives through their taonga.

After centuries of being classified as ethnographical evidence and used in “primitivism” movements, mana wāhine have begun to express themselves and in doing so are redefining their Māori and Pacific identities. In this exhibition we aim to create space for voices that often go unheard, while critiquing and responding to the ways in which women and nonbinary bodies continue to be oppressed and marginalised. So nau mai haere mai to the celebration of women’s power, indigenous feminism, cultural renaissance, and the forever shifting expression of agency.

Mana Wāhine is showing at Upstairs 17 Tory Street Gallery / July 29 to August 3, 11.00am to 4.00pm.

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Sex work and self care: The taboo of the unrepentant whore CW: Mention of sexual violence There is this meme that goes: “Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are, unless you are a whore.”

My name is Min, I am 23-years old, and I am a whore.

Before entering into the “Oldest Profession”, my primary knowledge of the industry came through the lens of mass media; I was familiar with interventions on Dr Phil in which vulnerable women were dragged in front of gleeful housewives to confess the salacious details of their lives — how they degraded themselves and “sold their bodies” to pay for drugs or alcohol, or because they had been abused.

I had frequently seen sex workers portrayed as the butt of jokes or helpless victims in the media. There were also the “more acceptable” sex workers: the hookers with hearts of gold who found themselves in the job due to external factors and a lack of agency, opportunity, or economic tools.

There were also the “bad” sex workers: the nymphomaniac deviants who had chosen this life and could be killed off or violently assaulted in horror films and video games without the audience feeling squeamish.

I had heard “jokes” at school ranging from: “How do you make a hormone?”

“Stick a rusty chainsaw in her.” to “How do you know when the hooker in your trunk is dead?”

“She smells better.”

Like many, I internalised the idea that sex workers were defined only by their job and promiscuity, and subconsciously believed them to be disposable and undeserving of respect and dignity. I am thrilled to inform you that I was very wrong.

My identity is not defined by my status as a sex worker: I am also an artist, a graphic designer, an enthusiastic dancer, an obnoxious singer, and the owner of two (!) living house plants. I perform physical labour for money,

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Sex work and self care: The taboo of the unrepentant whore

just as a plumber or a coal miner may, only with considerably more orgasms.

I didn’t become a sex worker on purpose; in fact the job came as something of a surprise. I grew up in in a large Protestant family in which masturbation, let alone sex before marriage, was considered immoral.

When I was 18 my mother banned me from watching Friends because Rachel was a “slut”. This was the latest in a long line of bans that included having male friends visit, holding hands with boys, and attending sex education at school. I didn’t find out what an erection was until I had one jammed inside me, a week before my 21st birthday.

My lack of education resulted in an abusive relationship with a partner who seemed to isolate my sexual function as my primary value. Following this I was sexually assaulted and even raped by someone who took advantage of my trusting nature and low self-esteem. I developed PTSD, depression, and extreme anxiety around sex. I felt as though being raped was my punishment for being sexually active, so I stopped having sex.

Perhaps at this point you are filing me into the category of “acceptable sex worker.” Someone whose trauma forced them to take up sex work.

I certainly know of fellow sex workers who have experienced assault (and others who have not), but in a country where an estimated one in three girls is sexually abused before the age of 16, conflating correlation and causation would be a mistake. The idea that people do sex work because they are damaged by abuse to the point where they can no longer see sex as enjoyable, or something that they have any kind of control over, is one that I have come across many times but, while I can not entirely separate my experience of sexual assault from my decision to take up sex work, it would be incorrect to say that I am a sex worker because I can not get past that trauma.

While people like to imagine sex work as a passive experience in which we simply wait for Johns to “use our body,” my experience has been vastly different. Sex work allowed me to move past my trauma by experiencing consensual sex in a safe environment with men who value my time and body. Since engaging in sex work I have begun to reclaim my sexuality and ownership of my body. For the first time in my life I fully enjoy sex without feeling self-conscious or guilty. I feel beautiful and strong, and no longer allow myself to be pressured into sex. I have been able to come off all of my meds and the symptoms of my PTSD and depression have all but vanished. I am able to tell people how I like to be touched and the the flexible hours and generous payment means that I have time to focus on self-care and recovery.

Despite what people think, I fully enjoy every day of sex work, and if I am not in the mood to share my body, I do not. I take the day off. I read a book. I trust myself to know what is right for my body. I get excited about meeting new clients and learning about their body and how they like to have sex. Sometimes I discover things that I like or am attracted to, that I never knew about. Sometimes I have amazing sex or sometimes I help someone with low self-esteem feel attractive. There are many reasons why someone may take up sex work, but mine was an act of self-care and reclamation of my body and consent. And I do not regret it one bit.

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again and tions I get asked es qu e th ; ils ta de an housewives to the salacious s herd of suburb il’ Ph r D Now to move on e ak m ns that would again. The questio are: ith glee, here they wet themselves w

1. When will you get a proper job?

I get asked this a lot — by friends and clients. The implication is that I should be studying or working a mainstream job. In fact I have an honours degree, do freelance graphic design work, write, and do illustration.

It just so happens that the income I make from sex work is more than all of these jobs combined. But sex work is work, as much as anything else.

2. You are too clever to do this.

Wrong. I do this because I am clever; I am using my most lucrative commodity to generate income and I am doing something that I enjoy.

3. You must see a lot of dick heads.

Yes. I do. As in any job, some clients are nice, some are dicks. Mostly I am lucky enough to see people whose company is entertaining or enjoyable.

If I see someone I dislike, I choose not to see them again.

Consent is a vital part of sex work and I may withdraw that consent whenever I want.

4. Are you addicted to drugs?

I took a Lemsip today. Other than that, I am painfully boring. I sit at home sewing, painting, and reading. I like a glass of red wine on occasion but I am hardly Johnny Rotten.

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Sex work and self care: The taboo of the unrepentant whore

5. You must LOVE sex.

I do love sex. I think if I disliked sex this job would be difficult. However, a lot of the sex I have is not great sex or sex with someone that I am attracted to. I still enjoy it, but it is completely different from sex in real life.

Besides, a great deal of my job is in the emotional labour — listening to clients talk about their problems and insecurities and making them feel important and desirable. Sex is a secondary part of the job.

6. How can you see married men?

I am not in a relationship with them. I am providing a paid service.

At any rate, not all clients disclose their relationship status. I tell my own sexual partners what I do, but I am not dating my clients and it isn’t my job or business what they choose to do.

I use condoms, I get frequent STD tests, and I do not get involved in contacting my clients or their families. Their business is their business.

7. Do you like sex work?

Mostly yes. Like any jobs, some days are hard, but I have the luxury of only working on days when I feel like it.

I have regular clients who I get on with, my job gives me the means to travel and have spare time, and my partner is understanding and supportive.

Sex work has changed my life in so many ways, but mostly it has made me more confident, self-assured, and in charge of my sexuality.

It gives me orgasms, money, and endless anecdotes — as of today, I am a terribly happy, healthy whore.

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REAL-Life Test Written by Aliyah Winter

CW: Discussion of transphobia, transmisogyny, and gendered violence With the rise in visibility of trans people over the last few years, there is a general sense that things are moving forward for the trans community.

Many trans people could tell you that this is not the case. The day-to-day difficulty of moving through the world as a trans person can be exhausting, and often detrimental to one’s well-being. This rise in visibility is not always positive, particularly for those who are already too visible, and whose safety is compromised through hypervisibility. In my view, trans people in public space, just like women in public space, is largely a feminist issue, and it requires the work of non-trans people to make space, and safer space, for us.

I acknowledge I am mainly speaking from my own perspective, which is extremely limited, and also highly privileged as a tall, thin, white transfeminine person who (mostly) passes as (meaning that people perceive me as) a woman. It is so important to recognise and understand the ways that gender intersects with race, class, age, ability, and culture, because those intersections shift the terms of gender and the way that personhood is defined.

I struggle with the notion that more representation is progress; that it is equal to greater acceptance and therefore better quality of life for trans people. Representation does not change the way that power is distributed within our society, and it often correlates with respectability politics.

These are politics where trans people are lauded for being “courageous” and “brave” for existing, but the transphobia and oppression that makes courage and bravery necessary continues to work against us. In a utopian way, I think we need an absolute overhaul of the systems and institutions which work against us, not only those of gender, but all structures of power.

In 2016, American activist group The Human Rights Campaign advocates tracked at least 22 deaths of transgender people in the United States due to fatal violence, the most ever recorded. Most of these people were transfeminine and gender nonconforming people of colour.1 I always feel the 1. “Violence Against the Transgender Community in 2017.” Human Rights Campaign. http://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2017.

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Aliyah Winter

REAL-LIFE TEST

need to communicate with a sense of urgency when talking about issues of gender, because, without hyperbole, trans and gender nonconforming people are being killed. In the words of Wu Tsang, these are not always things that kill us directly, but wear us down, and cut our lives short through prolonged exposure to shame, humiliation, and violence. The incidence of mental health issues, disability, and trauma is huge amongst queers, especially trans people.

Before and during my transition, I was visibly gender nonconforming, and this opened me up to a host of negative implications moving through public space. I have been followed down the street, interrogated about my gender, verbally abused, yelled at, spat on, and physically assaulted on more than one occasion. I’ve had people laugh in my face, tell me I’m going to burn in hell, call me every slur imaginable. At a certain point in my medical transition, I started to “pass” as a cisgender woman. Although this wasn’t initially my goal or intention with transition, I can’t deny the safety it affords me compared to my past experiences.

But the violence didn’t really subside, it only mutated. The particular type of oppression that someone like me faces at the intersection of transphobia and misogyny is known as transmisogyny, a term coined by Julia Serano in her pivotal book Whipping Girl. Transmisogyny is how the same men that used to hail me and call me a f****t are the ones now leering at me as I walk by. They hold open doors but they still follow me home. They treat me as a woman, which is to say according to the terms of misogyny and patriarchy.

What I initially thought was trading constant harassment for safety turned out to be simply a renegotiation of the ways that harassment was executed.

While I am not interested in drawing lines in the sand or playing oppression olympics, for me it is important to acknowledge the specific struggle of AMAB (assigned male at birth) trans people. Within feminist circles my experience has been that AFAB (assigned female at birth) people have a much easier time being heard and taken seriously, and that AMAB people are often held to higher standards of political integrity. There is a complex privilege at work here, transmisogynistic at its core, which indicates to me that a lot more needs to happen in order to make space for the voices and issues of transfeminine people to be heard.

This means recognising that trans people are coerced into normative gender presentations to access to employment, housing, education, medical care amongst other things. Trans women can be criticised for having traditionally feminine gender presentations, without those critics recognising the relative safety that femininity affords trans women. What non-trans people can take for granted is how their gender is self-evident, because of the way that people connect identity to how you look. We need to move away from the idea that we can know people through seeing them, and making instant assumptions about their body, and the ways they identify. We cannot know someone’s gender or sexuality unless they tell us. This does not mean that certain gender presentations and modes of being don’t carry privilege, because they certainly do, but we do need to recognise there are much more intricate and complex narratives in every person’s experience. Presentation does not necessarily align with identity. It may not always be safe for people to present how they would like, or they simply are presenting the way they

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would like, and this does not negate their gender, or pronouns, or place in the trans community.

Particularly for trans women and femme people, there is often a focus on and policing of the ways we present ourselves — unsolicited comments on our appearance, sometimes simple compliments, more often than not tinged with a validation that we are performing femininity correctly. At other times, these can be corrective: “if only you did X then: you would look more like a woman/people would understand you.” But, quite simply, if you don’t want your gender policed, we also don’t want our gender policed.

The consequences of a gendered society mean that trans people struggle to access any appropriate healthcare. The enormity of costs is already a barrier, but the ultimate hindrance is that the medical system is severely ill-equipped to deal with bodies outside the binary. The ability to record one’s chosen gender and sexuality in any medical system is often limited, or nonexistent, meaning that assumptions reign over informed treatment. Unless you know that the doctor you’re seeing has experience with trans patients, you are likely to receive a mixed barrage of inappropriate questions, blank stares, and deep misunderstanding. Particularly in terms of sexual health, it can be really awkward to have to constantly explicate on how exactly you have sex, or why you don’t need the exam they think you need. Having someone assume your gender and use the complete wrong name/pronouns is just the icing on the shitty trans health cake.

If you are seeking hormone replacement therapy, or surgery through the medical system, there are many levels of gatekeeping which can prevent you from accessing those services, not to mention excruciating wait times.

I was discouraged from transitioning until I was in a more stable place in terms of my mental health. This meant that I ended up waiting a year from the time I first sought out hormones to the time I actually got my first prescription.

Bodily autonomy is something both trans and intersex people have to fight for in our communities.

Feminism is able to, and should, make room for the mutability and self-determination of gender and bodily morphologies. Not only do we have to understand that there are many ways to be woman, but also that there is much more than just two genders or sexes, and more than just Western cultural concepts. The notion of gender as a distinct arena of experience has its roots in colonisation, while other cultures have entirely different concepts related to what can only tentatively be termed “gender” and “sexuality”.

Yes it’s all incredibly complex, and yes it’s always changing, but that is part of the world; the terms upon which we found ourselves will inevitably shift as our culture does, as we do individually. This is not meant to diminish the role of women in feminism, but to complicate our perception of all the ways to be a “woman”, or in a “body”, or even to have a “gender” at all.

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Words of Wisdom

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Written by Jasmine Koria

CW: Mention of rape “Mama told me tie my hair back all the way…” — Grace, “Dirty Harry” (2015) A lot of Pasifika people can attest to the fact that we get lots of advice growing up, especially if we’re girls.

I’m from two of the Pacific’s regions — Melanesia (on my mum’s side) and Polynesia (on my dad’s). One of the things I feel this issue of Salient is about is opening up and continuing discussions about the way the various identity hats that women wear impact who they are and who they’re allowed to be. At least, that’s one of the things I hope this issue can do.

I’ll be listing here some of the shocking, “funny”, troubling, and most 18th century reminiscent words of er... wisdom that have been said, very nicely, to Pasifika women about how they should live their lives. I’ve also written how I wish I had responded when I first heard them, had I’d not been prevented by cultural respect.

So, in no particular order:

1) “Who should lead our committee? That one’s amazing because he’s very practical, that other one’s good because he’s business minded, and that female one is good because she doesn’t swear. A lot of other committee members swear, but she knows how to talk like a proper lady.”

If four letter words aren’t your thing (or three letter words in Samoan, hah), then I respect that. If you don’t want swearing at your meetings, celebrations, and so forth, that’s okay. Sometimes you just know what kind of language the people coming to your events will not tolerate. However, being “female” shouldn’t warrant applause for not swearing, while being “male” earns someone annoying praises of “he’s the maaaan” when they cuss. This is just one step away from saying, “If you swear, you are not a woman anymore.” If you don’t like women swearing, tell the guys to change their language, too. I mean, how can you say… (runs out of words) …know what? If you’re going to keep taking the initiative of determining who can say what, you seriously need to just F-U-C-K-I-N-G LEAVE OTHER PEOPLE’S VOCABULARIES ALONE!

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2) “This lady is so annoying! She won’t stop talking, eh!

She needs to be raped properly.”

She needs to be raped. Properly.

I mean… wow! So it’s messed up enough that a woman talking warrants rape, but here we have someone who went to the trouble of specifying exactly how this woman needs to be raped. So it’s not good to leave anything half-done, right? So… rape her so brutally that she will never again have the audacity to say more than five words per conversation, right?

What’s majorly messed up is the owner of the comment thought they were on my side. You saw that I was annoyed with her for talking on and on about math. Thing is, I was irritated because I failed it (miserably), NOT because she’s a woman. I’m am also a woman, and you weren’t being “on my side” by talking like that.

3) “Moana is the perfect representation of all Pasifika women and you should be proud of it!”

As a Polynesian woman, a Samoan woman, a descendant of high chiefs and navigators, I AM DAMN PROUD of this animated film! It speaks to me, it inspires me, and don’t even judge me for knowing all the words to the songs.

Malo lava, and fa’afetai tele lava to Disney!

As a Melanesian woman, a Papua New Guinean woman… *crickets* I feel that in order to truly appreciate films like Moana, it is essential that we acknowledge them for exactly what they are about, but also what they are not about, and who they don’t represent. Moana is about a Pacific young woman, yes. But there are Pacific women — two regions full of them, actually — who are not like Moana. The Pacific has Micronesian and Melanesian women, too. They have their own struggles, questions, and, of course, victories, which are so often left out of Polynesian-centric narratives. The word “Pacific” (or, as I prefer, Oceania), does not mean just Polynesia. Next time, you need to, I don’t know… choose your words wisely.

4)“I know you’re upset that he hit you for staying out late, but he’s just being a ‘good’ brother. It’s his job to keep you safe. You’re too young to think about boys. He only wants to protect you.”

And in order to do that he hit her?

Straight up, though: if you think it’s some kind of gender prerogative of yours to hit your sister for dating, or hit the guy she’s dating just because he’s dating her, you are not being a “good” brother. You’re being abusive, hypocritical, and chauvinistic. I’m so sick of this! Every time I say “oh, so I like this guy…” people always follow that up with annoying questions such as “does your brother know?” and “what does he think?” Whether he knows or not isn’t my main concern. I don’t owe him (or any other man) an explanation of anything in my life.

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Jasmine Koria

Words of Wisdom

5) “We’re so proud of you! You’re successful, ambitious, and beautiful.

You deserve to marry a pālagi (white guy).”

As I type this, I feel all the energy being somehow drained from my fingers.

This comment was supposed to be synonymous with things like “you deserve to be happy” and “you deserve someone who will treat you well.” I mean, thanks for the well wishes but, seriously? Why is “white” always elevated much higher than not white? This sounds as if “white” is some sort of prize that only a select few can win. Anyone who is not white (especially when “not white” means black), has to prove themselves worthy by, I don’t know, not dropping out of high school? Thank you for telling me I’m “good enough” but…THE WORLD IS ROUND AND NOT FLAT and I will be with whoever the heck I want. …also, you are objectifying pālagi guys by talking about them like this and I don’t think any human being should be treated like a trophy, “earned” by those who “deserve” them.

6) “Medicine? Really? Look, you are a girl! If you study that it will take at least seven years, and by the time you’re halfway through your second year, you’ll be already wanting to get married!”

This friend of mine was 17 when her search for advice about university applications earned her this “warning.” The worst thing about it was that the person who said it thought they were helping her. They genuinely cared about her future. They believed, thanks to culture (and church, let’s be honest), that this was the best thing you could tell a high school student who had big dreams.

Not everyone takes this kind of “good advice”, though. My friend is now in her mid-twenties, a university graduate, employed, and not married. *** There’s a lot of encouraging and empowering advice that Pasifika young people, Pasifika young women especially, are given. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the words that can get me out of bed at 3.00am to finish my last-minute essays so I won’t be penalised. I’m proud to be a Pasifika person: Melanesian and Polynesian, on a bridge between two very different parts of the biggest ocean on earth.

However, I know that I can’t let that pride stop me from contributing to the discussions that we must have about the gender and sexual inequalities that still exist within the region. They are real problems that demand real solutions which cannot be reached if we bring the colonial ideal of silence into the rest of the 21st century with us. In order to ensure that we don’t do this, we must be prepared to tell real stories about real people who are feeling real pain, and making real progress.

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Features

Great Expectations?

Yeah, right.

“Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.”

— Charles Dickens, Great Expectations I have often found myself doing just this — considering the various influences that have shaped my development as a person, and as a woman. While I cannot identify when the first “link” was formed, throughout my life I have certainly felt bound. Except my “chain” consisted not of flowers or of gold, but a variety of proverbial “somethings” I felt I had to embody at any given time. An endless string of expectations and standards for how to be female — the catty, cliquey behaviour of teenage girls; the images of exquisite, airbrushed women saturating media and pop culture; societal and religious idolisation of virginity and purity. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t feel the weight of some expectation hanging over me, and each one shaped how I felt about myself and how I built my identity. I spent a long time attempting to find a definition of myself as a woman that was “acceptable”.

A lot of these expectations are, I’m sure, familiar to most women.

We must be passive, graceful, flawless, perfect, pure — both physically and in action. We must put others first. We must defer to men. These conceptions of how women should behave have long been a feature of our culture. They are the attitudes that feminists have fought against for years, and they have made some significant headway: there is more space in society today for women to be independent, outspoken, intelligent, and diverse than there ever has been.

However, due to society’s love for putting people in tiny little boxes, feminism has been twisted to confront women with another set of expectations about who they should be, expectations that are in direct opposition to those they seek to replace — independence, strength, assertiveness, leadership, denial of men, rejection of all traditional female roles and rituals. A contrasting judgement of who the “right” woman is, but a judgement nonetheless.

Women today find themselves deafened by a cacophony of conflicting standards. They are also provided with much less guidance on how to navigate these expectations and exposed to more censure should they do it “wrong”. It’s confusing, and over the years I’ve had an endless stream of questions scrolling through my brain trying to figure out how to do it “right”: Should I pursue and maintain a successful career? Should I want a family? What if I find I don’t? And if I do, should I try to do both? What if I can’t? Do I have to choose — cold career bitch or ’50s housewife?

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Hannah Hawkins Elder

Great Expectations? Yeah, right.

Should I be trying to love my body unconditionally?

How do I do that? And what about all the fashion and beauty products that tell me to hate my body, to change it?

What if I like shaving my legs and painting my nails?

Am I conforming to the beauty myth? Am I a bad feminist?

Should I strive to be utterly strong and independent?

What if I want to be looked after, cared for? Does that make me “weak”?

Should I be sexually free? Or does that mean I’m a slut?

What if I don’t want to have lots of sex? Do I then become frigid and a prude?

There is no way to win. Humans are dimensional beings, not categorical.

And yet, for some reason, we feel such a need to dichotomise people: if you choose to pursue a career over having children, you’re betraying your “womanhood”; if you shave your legs, you’re betraying the feminist agenda.

Whoever you choose to be, you’ll be falling short of someone’s idea of “female”.

This constant sense of not being good enough is psychologically damaging.

It’s no wonder women have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders than men do! It makes sense that in the face of such confusion and uncertainty, a young woman might throw her hands up in despair, feel constantly worried, or attempt to reclaim some power by obsessing over weight and food — one of the few things that still feels within her control.

It’s understandable that she might have such desperate reactions to a culture that constantly implies her inadequacy.

It hurts. Cultural expectations for what constitutes “woman” are limiting, destructive, and unforgiving. It is unfeasible to think we could all fit a single pattern. There is no “right way” to be female.

And if there’s no “right way”, then surely we can choose our own way.

Right? We can stop trying so hard to squeeze ourselves into ill-fitting boxes.

To change ourselves inside and out to make the label fit. We can stop wasting our precious time and brainpower caught up in the infinite spiral of guilt that we’re not “woman-ing right”. We can aim to live and love by no one’s philosophy but our own. We can do our best to love ourselves as women, regardless of whose standards we meet and which expectations we disappoint.

I certainly hope so.

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NOPESISTERS

Written by Johanna and Brittany Cosgrove

NOPESISTERS is a social enterprise recently established by Wellington sisters Johanna and Brittany Cosgrove. Started in October 2016, the duo have sold over 700 embroidered t-shirts, donating thousands of dollars already to two chosen charities very close to their hearts, with each design going to a different charity.

NOPESISTERS grew out of a simple design that Brittany, 23, made into a t-shirt last October. Johanna, 25, put a photo of herself wearing the tee on Instagram, and within an hour they had received requests from 30 friends who wanted to wear one of their own — thus NOPESISTERS was born.

The MastectoTee was their first design (pictured). It was inspired by the scars of their own mother’s battle with breast cancer and aims to spread breast cancer awareness and normalise and celebrate the scars of survivors. Proceeds were donated to the CanSurvive Dragon Boat team; a medal and award-winning dragon boat team made up of incredible breast cancer survivors.

The NOPE tee profits go to Wellington Sexual Abuse Help, which provides essential and immediate services for survivors of sexual violence.

The NOPE tee, which featured in HELP’s “I can’t keep quiet” Youtube video, promotes consent in order to foster safe and healthy relationships with a clear message that “NOPE means NO.” In the beginning, each t-shirt was hand stitched but, as demand grew, the stitching was outsourced to a local company, A1 Embroidery in Petone, in a bid to support manufacturing in Aotearoa.

The ethos of NOPESISTERS is simply “to make dope stuff for a good cause.” The t-shirts exist for a dual purpose — to spark important conversations and create awareness around their specific message; and use eye catching, unique designs to create a beautiful product for all genders.

Support NOPESISTERS and their chosen charities over on their Facebook page — NOPESISTERS and Instagram @nopesistersclothing Catch NOPESISTERS at VicUFO’s Market Day on Wednesday 2 August at 17 Tory Street (upstairs)

Features

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THE MISOGYNY IN GENDER EXPRESSION: A NONBINARY PERSPECTIVE

Features

Written by Grace Visser

In a heavily gendered world, navigating how we present ourselves can be quite a task.

Although clothing, makeup, and hairstyles have no inherent gender, incorporating typically masculine and feminine things into our presentation as a form of gender expression can be an important tool to convey our gender to those around us, and is a way of stopping binary trans people from being consistently misgendered. But how does navigating gender expression work when your gender isn’t binary?

And what if the way you present isn’t in line with society’s expectations of your gender?

We’ve been conditioned to perceive people as female whenever they have any aspects of performative femininity in their gender expression. We’ve been taught that the“default” is masculinity, and that femininity is “other”.

Feminine gender performance and expression is undervalued and deemed undesirable and lesser, to be avoided at all costs, which is why AMAB (assigned male at birth) trans people face so much transmisogyny. This assumed default of masculinity in presentation means that when AFAB (assigned female at birth) people incorporate typically masculine forms of presentation into their gender expression, they do not face the same stigma, danger, violence, and discrimination that trans women and AMAB nonbinary people face.

However, it also means that it can be difficult for AFAB trans people to be read as anything but female, even when doing everything they can to present in a masculine way. And when AFAB nonbinary people are feminine presenting, they can be forcibly misgendered, policed, disbelieved, and have their identity consistently erased.

Androgyny is thought by some to be exclusively masculine. Most representations of nonbinary people are masculine — people with narrow hips, no breasts, and slim builds

(they’re also mostly portrayed as white, which is indicative of the racism in our society and a lack of intersectionality in the LGBTQIA+ community). This is extremely erasing of AMAB nonbinary identities, and also polices AFAB nonbinary gender expression.

When I learnt about nonbinary identities, and realisations about my own identity started clicking into place, I was excited to present myself in a way that I was more comfortable with. I cut off my long hair and I had more confidence shopping in the “men’s” section.

It was so freeing and such a relief to do so! But while embracing my nonbinary-ness I became a little engulfed by society’s expectations of androgyny, some of which made me feel less rather than more myself. I felt like I wasn’t “allowed” to keep a dress I liked anymore, that I wasn’t valid if I wanted to wear makeup and jewellery sometimes.

Of course, all of that is complete bullshit.

There’s no such thing as being “trans enough” or doing it wrong! The idea that people can’t embrace the feminine aspects of themselves is wildly misogynistic. We need to challenge our ideas of androgyny to celebrate femininity.

This doesn’t mean starting to police people who present with masculinity; it means eradicating the toxic and misogynistic culture of policing, disbelieving, undervaluing, and erasing people who present with femininity.

OPINION

1.

Family and Whānau Violence Bill, General Policy Statement, Page 2.

OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION OPINION

OPINION

— Kate McIntyre

OPINION

of lying or seeking attention. Prisons, on the other hand, are filled up with poor people, people who are socially and economically deprived, people without wealth or privilege.

The wealthy and respectable will continue to act in violent and harmful ways because they know they can. Accountability is not demanded of them. Meanwhile, those who are criminalised will be subjected to a punitive and violent criminal justice system.

They willcome out traumatised and more prone to violence, and will continue to either victimise or be victimised.

Our response to a problem as serious as domestic violence cannot be to just move violence from the family home to the prison — we must address it head-on. Prisons can never be used for meaningful accountability and rehabilitation because prisons and patriarchy come from the same source.

We have to be brave and imagine a world without prisons. We must demand accountability of perpetrators of sexual assault, but in ways that do not isolate and dehumanise them.

We need infrastructure that can support victims and help perpetrators to rehabilitate, or else there can be no justice, no end to the cycle.

We need to end poverty, implement healthcare, social housing, quality education on sex and consent in schools, and rehabilitation programmes to help with addiction and substance abuse.

Prisons are fundamentally incompatible with this kaupapa, something our settlercolonial capitalist government cannot and will not provide.

OPINION

In March, the Family and Whānau Violence Bill was introduced before Parliament with the stated goal of providing “the levers and tools that help protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.” 1 The levers and tools it proposes include the creation of new prison sentences, the lengthening of sentences, and making access to bail more difficult.

This bill seeks to end the epidemic of domestic violence through incarceration.

The idea that protecting victims of domestic and sexual violence can be done by locking away the people responsible is a very attractive one. Victims absolutely need justice. They need to be supported and feel secure in knowing that the person who harmed them won’t continue to do so.

Historically, however, this has never been an effective solution.

In New Zealand, prisons were established specifically to suppress insurgency among Māori who were pushing to retain their social, economic, and political power. Prisons emerged to displace them so that their land could be bought by settlers. Even today, prisons still exist to suppress, brutalise, and dehumanise.

It should come as no surprise, then, that locking away violent people only serves to make them more violent. Assaults both by other prisoners and by Corrections staff are a regular occurrence. Sexual assault is rampant following the implementation of double-bunking prisoners in single-prisoner cells due to overcrowding. And all prisoners are sexually assaulted by Corrections staff by way of regular strip searches.

So the Government’s solution to domestic and sexual violence is to meet it with more sexual violence?

Of course, those with wealth and social capital are often not criminalised for acts of domestic and sexual violence. From Johnny Depp to Woody Allen to Donald Trump, people of power are consistently excused for their actions while their victims are accused

OPINION

OPINION

WE NEED TO MOVE BEYOND INCARCERATION

OPINION

Opinion

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ARTS

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MUSIC Lorde — Melodrama When Lorde released her debut album Pure Heroine in 2013, the singer set herself up with a definitive sound that caught the world’s attention. Pure Heroine had a consistent flow filled with sparse beats, negative space, and layered vocals. After four years of waiting we finally have Melodrama, a testament to the growth, pain, loss, and change of growing up.

Melodrama opens with the single “Green Light”, a mismatched pop hit with a punchy drumline and synthpop influence, as Lorde delivers intimate and simple lyrics that hit straight in the core of heartbreak.

While Melodrama holds very true to Lorde’s simple beats and breathless lyrical delivery, the 11-song album has much more to offer.

Throughout the early tracks we are treated to lines that detail lust and infatuation (“Hands under your t-shirt/ Know I think you’re awesome, right?”) before falling fast into insecurity and loss with Melodrama’s second single “Liability”, a delicate and introspective track relying solely on vocals and piano accompaniment.

Music

The rest of the album is bursting with emotion as we listen through feelings of grief, spite, anger, and eventually redemption in the ninth track “Supercut” — a steadily building synthy pop song that looks back on the downfall of a relationship. “Supercut” stings with heartache while feeling strangely cathartic. To wrap up Melodrama is the single “Perfect Places” — an anthem-like pop tune that’s upbeat but raw, and celebrates these contradictory feelings.

I spent a long time waiting for Lorde’s second album and I was not disappointed.

Melodrama plays from beginning to end like a whirlwind romance that I found myself swept up in. A testament to how much she has grown in the last fours years, Lorde has released another ripper of an album.

— Kit Taylor

PODCAST

In the meantime, check out these podcasts: • 2 Dope Queens: Comedians Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams talk about pop culture, dating, feminism, and race. There are sets from other stand-ups (Eric Andre, Maria Bamford, Pete Holmes) and great guests dropping by for a chat (Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, Jon Stewart).

• Call Your Girlfriend: Long-distance best friends Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow catch up every week, and record the whole thing as a podcast. Ann and Amina are just as comfortable talking about healthcare reform as they are deconstructing the Rob Kardashian, Blac Chyna debacle.

Also features the great segment “This Week in Menstruation”.

• Boners of the Heart: New Zealand’s own Rose Matafeo and Alice Snedden explore their weird celebrity crushes. Both these ladies are crushing it in the comedy world (Rose won the Fred Award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival this year, and Alice is head writer on Jono and Ben), and you’ll love hearing them crack each other up as they pine for the stars of ’80s movies.

— Annelise Bos

GIG GUIDE

Podcasts have a real problem showcasing diverse voices.

In general, the podcasting scene is dominated by white men with too many opinions (sounds familiar, right?).

A 2016 survey of iTunes US, the world’s largest podcast directory, found that 66% of podcasts had at least one white male host, while only 7% were hosted by women of colour. A cursory glance over the iTunes NZ top ten podcast chart at the time of writing revealed that only three shows consistently featured women as hosts or recurring guests. Achieving authentic representation of women and gender minorities, especially people of colour, is something that many forms of media fail to accomplish, and podcasts are no exception.

Representation is important because it allows us to hear different stories and perspectives. It can also be a catalyst for change, by amplifying the voices of the marginalised.

What needs to happen for us to hear more awesome ladies in podcasts? Firstly, established studios (Earwolf, Acast, RadioLab) with money and resources need to set the pace, and recruit more women and gender minorities to host and produce podcast content.

Secondly, if you find a great podcast with diverse hosts, spread the word! Tell the studio that you like it; bully your friends into listening to it. Thirdly — and this is my favourite option — start your own podcast with the voices you want to hear (don’t forget to email editor@ salient.org.nz and we’ll review it).

55 55 55 joined by their Friday: Onono — This troupe of international playboys are reuniting with a hometown shakedown at Meow, pals Honey and Bad Friend. Let their soothing milk of psychedelic pop wash down your thirsty, thirsty throats. 8.00pm onwards.

Friday: Raveactivate Vol. 2 — If psych isn’t quite your bag, then we have the doofiest of doof going on down at Leroy’s Bar. You can cut the nastiest of shapes to Borrowed Cs, Alper, Jay Knight, and many many more, while simultaneously knowing you are helping to prop up Wellington’s favourite independent radio station, and for $5.00 it’s a bloody steal ya wee munters.

Saturday: Women’s Week party — Seeing as this issue is all about women, we would be remiss to leave out VicUFO’s extremely bodacious-looking party going down at Moon on Saturday to wrap up Women’s Week! With a ridiculous lineup featuring Creamy Mami, Aw B, and Alexa Casino, come on down from 8.30pm for a night that’ll be dreamy, creamy, and perhaps a little bit steamy.

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The Handmaid’s Tale — Bad Feminist — Margaret Atwood Roxane Gay Since the publication of doomsday novels such as Brave New World and 1984, we’ve devoured dystopian fiction with a somewhat sadistic curiosity. We gasp in horror as our characters suffer under morally corrupt regimes, subjected to the unspeakable evil of totalitarianism.

Imagine! But then we close the book with a selfcongratulatory smirk, because such a thing could never actually happen to us, of course.

The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the Republic of Gilead, a futuristic Christian theocracy replacing the United States. Under this totalitarian regime, women are forbidden to hold property, control money, or vote.

They are restricted to the unpaid roles of mother, wife, domestic servant, or — in the case of narrator Offred — producing children for elite, infertile families.

The Handmaid’s Tale launches straight into its narrative. Context comes later in the form of flashbacks, as Offred reveals the events that led to her becoming a Handmaid, and the US becoming an ultra-religious surveillance state.

Atwood doesn’t give an exact date, but allusions like Offred’s mother’s memories of Take Back the Night marches hint at these events taking place not far from today. This relationship with the present is The Handmaid’s Tale’s genius — it presents us with a horrifying future scenario, and an unsettlingly close connection with reality.

Atwood’s warning is that a society where women are commodified as breeding stock is not just the stuff of dystopian fiction, but a real possibility.

We could cast aside the events of The Handmaid’s Tale as extreme examples — some particularly morbid armchair travel for the dystopia enthusiast — but its themes are uncomfortably familiar. Do I hear echoes of victim blaming? What’s that about criminalising abortion? Americans fleeing to Canada in unprecedented numbers? It’s uncanny how well Atwood has foretold the mess we’re in — a mess that blurs the line between dystopian fiction and reality.

— Laura Sutherland

Books

At the beginning of her book, Roxane Gay defines herself as a “Bad Feminist”, displacing any need to be the “perfect feminist”, and removing the right of people to judge or question her feminism. As a millennial who is guilty of consuming many hours’ worth of television shows with questionable themes towards women, this is something that pulled me in, which I’m sure is what she was aiming for.

Gay writes a series of essays, all relating to feminism, organised by categories such as “Gender and Sexuality”, “Politics, Gender & Race”, and simply “Race & Entertainment”.

She tells stories from her 39 years of life that frame her feminist opinions, as well as criticising mainstream media’s representation of women, and the politicisation of women’s healthcare.

As a Black woman in the US who at times has identified as queer, Gay’s feminism is one that focuses a lot on how Black women have been treated and represented in popular media, slamming mainstream movies and television shows such as The Help, 12 Years a Slave, and Orange is the New Black for their lack of appropriate representation of Black women.

Gay’s complex disagreement with the notion of “trigger warnings” is communicated not only explicitly, but also in the way she discusses topics such as rape, including the story of her own at the age of 12 which she discusses in one of the heavier chapters of the book. It is these stories of her own experiences that frame the book, enabling the reader to understand her type of feminism, and the reasons behind her strong opinions.

Although Gay’s feminist ideas can be very specific to her own culture and experiences, they force the reader to think about how feminism is understood by those in marginalised groups, even if they do not personally feel the same way.

I would recommend this book to any person who cares about female representation in media, women’s reproductive rights, and fighting rape culture, and, frankly, especially to those who don’t.

— Samantha Gordon

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THEATRE One Night Only As the Young and Hungry (Y&H) season approached, I found myself bracing for impact.

Y&H is always hit-and-miss with performance, script, tech, and direction, or a combination of all the above. Yet, this is the first year the posters for each of the plays were cohesive and genuinely pleasing to the eye — well done to the publicity team!

To continue on the pleasantly surprised train, I am happy to report that One Night Only

by Finnius Teppett worked well under director Stella Reid’s experienced wing. It starts with much energy and zeal, relaxing the audience into a quickly unravelling story with an unfortunate anti-climactic finish, leaving me feeling indifferent despite enjoying many aspects of the play. The show takes place mostly in a boy band’s green room where the truth is revealed to mega-fans M1 and M2, as well as the audience, as to how the four-person group, FourEver, became three.

The show opens on Pauline Ward as Lisa Lubgrub, an over-worked and under-appreciated reporter looking for the “big story” that will propel her into journalistic stardom. It seems as though the plot intended to unravel from her perspective, but she was missing for most of the play and, in all honesty, I almost forgot about Lubgrub. This is unfortunate, as Ward certainly stole the show in the opening moments with her beautiful operatic voice, but this opening almost had me expecting a musical. Bar the opening, a clarinet solo, and a dance battle, there were few musical elements.

The set design by Isadora Lao was clever and functional, both for the actors in terms of creating wings and for the quick turnaround required to set up for the next Y&H show.

However, it seemed too dark for a green room, and also too messy. Although the amount of clothes on the stage gives a messy-boys-roombomb-site look, this doesn’t really make sense if FourEver is nearing the end of their world tour, or considering that most of the clothes were left untouched by the actors. In saying that, the use

Theatre

of shoes as microphones and phones, and socks as business cards, was a clever integration of set into the world of the play. The set also gave us subtle hints of something wicked this way comes, such as the words “no blood sacrifices” above one of the hanging netting, and not-so-subtle hints like the massive pentagram in the middle of the stage floor.

Indeed, something wicked does come in the form of Mimi (Trae Te Wiki), a modern agent of Hell. Te Wiki’s demon was refreshing in the way that her sexuality was not used in her hellishness, and her bubbly apathy and workaholic tendency made me really enjoy having her onstage.

A special choo-choo should go to Ethan Morse. He played the mega-fan M1 and did so genuinely, without drawing from feminine stereotypes. Indeed, the costuming didn’t create the absolute illusion that Morse was a girl, rather it respected the fact that he was a male playing a female, by giving him plaid shorts to wear while M2 ( Jacinta Compton) wore a plaid school skirt. Individual character and chorus work was strong, and using the actors’ special talents like singing or clarinet playing within the show was a great touch.

I genuinely enjoyed this show: it’s a fun kick-start to this unpredictable Young and Hungry 2017 season. This show will make you laugh, get spooked, and appreciate the grounding plot twist. All aboard the refreshingly unexpected train to Bats Theatre! Choo-choo!

— Emilie Hope

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Television

TELEVISION

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) I first read Margaret Atwood’s feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale in 2009, on the recommendation of my Year 13 English teacher who was incredibly supportive of my writing but worried about some of my ill-formed Christchurch-born white girl ideologies (hint: I didn’t know shit). A few weeks ago my mum messaged me saying she had just read it, and asked if I had heard there was a new television adaptation — of course! TV is my life and I was thrilled to inform her Alexis Bledel from Gilmore Girls was in it. As Hulu vies for Netflix’s crown in quality original programming, it brings a gripping though enduringly grim portrait of what may as well be life under a Trump regime.

For those who haven’t read the book, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian future version of America called the Republic of Gilead where a religious totalitarian dictatorship has overthrown the former government.

With sterility on the rise due to pollution and the spread of sexually transmitted disease, women are forced to serve as “handmaids” to elite couples and bear them children. Women have few rights under the new hyper-Christian leadership and are denied connections to their former lives. The show is narrated by Offred (Elisabeth Moss), formerly June but now with a new name denoting her position as property of high-ranking government official Commander Fred Waterford (of-fred). When handmaids exhibit resistance to the rules of the new society they are punished with the gouging of their eyeballs, while many men are simply killed for their perceived crimes and their bodies displayed in public as reminders of the consequences of divergence.

While Elisabeth Moss is an amazing actress, I find it hard to reconcile her lack of self-awareness in playing lead Offred and being a member of the glorified cult of Scientology — a “religion” prone to being just as cruel and oppressive as the Republic depicted in the show.

Reports of Scientology’s abuse of its members

and negative treatment of women, children, and the mentally ill go back decades, though having being raised in the church Moss is likely thoroughly indoctrinated (she frequently declines comment on her involvement within the church in interviews, other than claiming it is “grossly misunderstood” in the media).

Still, she fully immerses herself and the viewer in her role as Offred, part of a stellar cast including Orange is the New Black’s Samira Wiley, Chuck’s Yvonne Strahovski, and the aforementioned Rory Gilmore herself.

The Handmaid’s Tale isn’t happy viewing; its content is as pervasively cold and bleak as its colour scheme. I found the rape scene in the first episode so confronting that I’m yet to watch episode two, not out of distaste for the show — which I think is incredible television, and handled a scene of sexual assault with far more grace than something like Game of Thrones — but rather because I know it’s not going to get any easier to watch such haunting depictions of a world not far from our own. The echoes of the oppression and fear involved in the real life experiences of being socialised as female that are present in The Handmaid’s Tale, to always be polite to men and permit your subjugation to them and their ideas, ring just as true in 2017 as they did when the original novel was released in 1985. A recommended watch that I’m looking forward to eventually continuing with, but a heavy trigger warning for anyone going in unprepared.

— Katie Meadows

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Games

GAMES

Women and Gaming In 2015, the Pew Research Center conducted a study on people who do and don’t consider themselves gamers. They found that while equal numbers of men and women play games in the United States, the majority of those who considered themselves “gamers” were men.

In fact, the study revealed that men and women in the United States alike believe that only men are gamers, including women who themselves play games on a regular basis.

The gaming industry has ballooned, particularly smartphone gaming, and was worth $91 billion in 2016. Despite these increases, the perception of women not being gamers persists, perhaps because women play fewer “traditional” video games like first person shooters. In fact, the Quantic Foundry found that out of 270,000 game players, those who identified as female preferred match-3 games and social simulation games such as The Sims, long credited for drawing women to gaming.

One way to change the perception of women as gamers would be to encourage more women to game. Stephanie Llamas, director of research and insight at SuperData, pointed out to the New York Times last year that the most effective way to draw more women into gaming is to have women on the business side of the industry. Marketing would be easier and more effective in the long run, the idea being that “it’s difficult to understand the demographic if you are not part of that demographic.”

However, the hostility women are met with in the world of games is a heavy deterrent.

Jennifer Brandes Hepler, who edited Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap, illustrated for Polygon that her book intended to highlight the ignorance and hostility faced by women on the business side of games. Hepler said that if anything is clear, “there is no single narrative of ‘being a woman’ in games, but that although the characters change, the setting is the same, and the hostility and ignorance we have all faced continue to be a defining part of many

women’s experience of games.”

In short, it seems like there is nothing stopping women from participating in more traditionally “gamer”-type games like Dishonored 2 or Halo (especially given that these games feature powerful and dynamic female characters, such as Cortana and the adult Emily Kaldwin), except the misogyny pervading the community.

Indeed, it must be difficult to get women into the business world of games when female developers and players are harassed on a regular basis. In an article written for the Boston Globe, software engineer Brianna Wu articulated her experiences: “Rape threats, death threats, harassment, having private information about myself posted has become a daily occurrence.”

Unfortunately, the same abuse, as well as casual sexism, extends to female players themselves, particularly online. Sociologist Audrey Brehm found in a study, looking at the relationship between gender and gaming, that the multi-player online RPG World of Warcraft community not only had many instances of harassment toward female players, but also instances of “benevolent sexism”, with many male players viewing women as “delicate”, and feeling obligated to “help” them in the game.

While organisations such as Women in Technology, Women In Games, and Women in Games International attempt to combat such sexism, the experiences of too many female players and business women continue to be negative. Acceptance is a long-time coming, but women have begun to stand up in the tech industry. The will and courage of women to speak out against their abusers, as well as more subtle forms of sexism, is a monumental and fundamental step for achieving equality in the world of games and technology.

— Wellington Tremayne

Visual Art

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<art@salient.org.nz> Laura & Tim <editor@salient.org.nz> Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 1:02 AM Re: UFO ISSUE Important mainly because it was sent directly to you.

Visual Art Hi Laura and Tim I’m having trouble writing to the theme of intersectionality. It’s a term that has been the focus of discussion within the arts recently, by writers Lana Lopesi, Natasha Matila-Smith, Kari Schmidt — more informed and eloquent on the subject than I am. My concern is that intersectionality can be, at its worst, a way of superficially acknowledging difference without accounting for oppression. It can — it should always — go far beyond that, but the way in which white people position themselves to it — most problematically in instances like these which involve unpaid labour — often posits intersectional theory as antithesis to “white feminism” and in doing so manages to make whiteness central to the discussion. A reliance on these dichotomies does little beyond affirming the problems intersectionality seeks to address.

Basically I feel weird because I’ve been asked by you to write to a really complicated theme with little regard for the fact that some artists and artist practitioners whose work may be defined by an outsider as intersectional in fact prefer to adhere to indigenous modes of thinking: mātauranga Māori, Moananui, manaakitanga, whakawhanaungatanga (this is clearly illustrated in Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

The Curatorial Edition, a conversation between Lana Lopesi, Nigel Borell, Ioana Gordon-Smith, and Ema Tavola published by the Pantograph Punch). Yes, these frameworks are intersectional; no, they are not best conflated under the umbrella of intersectionality.

Calling your feminism intersectional does not necessarily make it so. Without a clearer understanding of how this issue is going to pan out I am wary of contributing to it. The arts sector, this magazine, and my column would be greatly benefited by the careful application of intersectional theory and I think that is something that we should truly strive to achieve, however within the context of this issue I am worried that, as a woman of Māori and Tahitian descent, my voice will be subsumed into a broader narrative of “diversity”. I would not call my voice diverse; I would call it my own.

All the best, Hanahiva Rose

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NOTICES FREE PUBLIC EVENT: MUSINGS ON THE CAR BUSINESS AND THE BUSINESS OF LIFE

Alistair Davis, CEO of Toyota New Zealand, will be speaking at this event about the future of the car business, the brand values that influence Toyota’s strategy in a fast-changing environment, and how his personal Christian values shape his approach to the CEO role and to life more generally. Alistair is a Victoria alumnus, with degrees in commerce and law.

Time: Wednesday August 2 from 12.30–1.30pm Place: Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus, Ground floor, RH LT3

HELLO

VICTORIA ABROAD — STUDENT EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES

Why wait to go overseas after finishing your degree? GO ON EXCHANGE! Study in English, earn Victoria credit, get Studylink and grants, explore the world!

Find out more on our website: http://victoria.ac.nz/exchange Enjoy past students’ experiences and photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ VictoriaAbroadNZ/ Information Sessions: Every Wednesday at 12.50pm, Level 2, Easterfield Building, resuming August 2 (after a hiatus due to interviews for Trimester 1, 2018).

$

$

Send your art submission to designer@salient.org.nz and be in to win a $100 Gordon Harris voucher.

HELLO Send your art submission to designer@salient.org.nz and be in to win a $100 Gordon Harris voucher.

HELLO

HELLO

$

Send your art submission to designer@salient.org.nz and be in to win a $100 Gordon Harris voucher.

Send your art submission to designer@salient.org.nz and be in to win a $100 Gordon Harris voucher.

$ $

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CROSSWORD: ‘SUBURBAN SPRAWL'

SUDOKU

1. Namesake of the Laws of Motion (6) 4. Like some browser menus (4-4) 10. Getting limp, like a flower (7) 11. A smooth operator, hopefully? (7) 12. Surname of Cold War Soviet spies, Julius and Ethel (9) 16. Card #13 in the Tarot’s Major Arcana (5) 17. ‘The Communist Manifesto’ co-author Marx (4) 19. Place for a hip flask (5) 22. ‘A Sorta Fairytale’ musician Amos (4) 25. Singer whose milkshake brought all the boys et cetera (5) 16. Side effect of stubble removal (5,4) 31. Ripping into (7) 32. Regains consciousness (5,2) 33. Handaxes (8) 34. Cocktail with a name derived from the Tahitian for ‘good’ (3,3)

DOWN

Sudoku difficulty: Hard

TARGET

ACROSS

Make as many words of three letters or more as you can. Each word must contain the letter in the central square.

‘THIS PARTY IS DEAD'

LAST WEEK'S SOLUTION

Target goals: Good: 22 words Great: 25 words Impressive: 28 words

Puzzles

1. Closer to mint condition, maybe (5) 2. Famous features of Berlin and Jerusalem (5) 3. His belt is made of Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka (5) 5. Quits, like Sean Spicer (7) 6. Christmas or Pride Month event (6) 7. Pizza herb (7) 8. Christopher Eccleston’s place in the ‘Doctor Who’ roster (5) 9. Fairytale bad guy (4) 13. Eggs, in Latin (3) 14. Creature referred to as ‘tuna’ in Māori (3) 15. Violinist’s implement (3) 18. Dependent (on) (7) 20. Not too bad (the Vic Style Guide says this isn’t a word, but don’t listen) (7) 21. Number of Ks in this crossword grid, when it’s completed (3) 22. You might run one at a bar (3) 23. Compressed file type that sounds like a noise made by a cute tiger (3) 24. Biblical book with the line “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation” (6) 25. Small fishing boat (5) 27. Galifinakis of ‘The Hangover’ and ‘Between Two Ferns’ (4) 28. Cuban ballroom dance (5) 29. In tears, maybe (5) 30. ‘The Shock Doctrine’ author Klein (5)

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HOROSCOPE

Horoscope

We hope that our beautiful friends are feeling ready for a August full of turbulent Planetary motions.

Leo: July 23–August 22 *rawr* Leos are full of animal instincts this week, as you feel invigorated by a collection of planetary movements. Love will be found in financial institutions so be sure to linger outside your local bank, ATMs, or the Treasury building.

Aquarius: Jan 22- Feb 19 The planets are working in your favour Aquarius!

Mercury is in your eighth house of ~mysteries~ and the metaphysical will be calling your name. Cast a circle of light or buy a ouija board. Speaking of physical, this energy will spice up your love life. ;)

Virgo: Aug 23-Sep 22 Mercury is giving you energy this week, so why not channel that energy to #smashthepatriarchy? Our celestial overlords are not offering you anything else this week… your love, sex, career, and financial lives are all looking pretty bleak.

Pisces: Feb 19-Mar 20 Hopefully you are not overwhelmed this week, gentle Fish. Mercury is in Virgo and your relationship house so utilise this energy to make things happen!

Super Like someone on tinder! Now is the time to be honest about what you want, whether it’s an open relationship or an orgy.

Libra: Sep 23-Oct 22 With Mercury in your twelfth house of transitions, it’s prime time to impulsively donate all of your possessions to the Women’s Refuge! Read that book about tidying up and minimalism! Go with the flow Libra!

Scorpio: Oct 23-Nov 21 Things are getting HOT this month, and Mars joining the action in Leo really puts a fire under your ass/ambition! You will be charming af so the banter at work will be f l o w i n g. Use this to your advantage and network, you magnetic Scorpion!

Sagittarius: Nov 22-Dec 21 You’re back on your bullshit this week, and by that we mean you’re back on your grind this week hunny.

Don’t forget to embrace the fiery energy of Leo Season tho. Your impulsiveness will be rewarded!

You know you want to send that risky text.

Capricorn: Dec 22-Jan 21 Last week might have been chill for you sweet Goat, but this week Mercury is sending you a message from your worldly ninth house to go and explore something new! Preferably something you can Instagram. You will be uncharacteristically candid so be careful not to ask your friend-with-benefits what you guys *are* mid-coitus.

Aries: March 21–April 19 Last week was a turbulent time for you, as starryeyed Venus sat at odds with boring, sensible Saturn.

Well Saturn has pissed off now, meaning you can get back to doing what Aries do best: falling wholeheartedly in love with people who end up being overwhelmingly disappointing.

Taurus: April 20–May 20 Unfortunately, Mercury’s retrograde is not encouraging financial growth for Bulls this fortnight.

Well… it might be Mercury, or it could be systemic sexism in our workplaces meaning that average af white dudes get hired over you.

Gemini: May 21–June 20 You can thank the Moon for any extra cash that comes your way this month. Family relations are on the up so make sure you call all the incredible women in your life and thank them for all they have done for you. #feminism Cancer: June 21–July 22 Ayyyyy August 2k17 is all about partying for you thanks to our planets working together to increase your health and energy levels. This means you are much more likely to attract rich partners which is always an added bonus.

— Aubergine amd Celeste

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