sexism Archives - Queen's Journal

We need to start taking gendered micro-aggressions seriously

Written on March 26, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

By now, it should be common knowledge that rape and misogynist culture lives on a spectrum not only including the worst, most violent actions, but micro-aggressions as well. This weekend, I watched the movie Moxie, and there was one line that stuck with me, even though the rest of the movie drops...

Taylor Swift is mad, and we should at least respect that anger

Written on March 5, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Last week, Taylor Swift called out the Netflix series Ginny & Georgia for making a sexist joke at her expense. Unsurprisingly, Swift’s criticism spurred a divisive response online. Some are interpreting it as a #girlboss moment, applauding Swift for her candour. Others think she can’t take a joke One...

Calling girls 'basic' isn't harmless—it's sexist

Written on September 22, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

In the late 2000s, the term ‘basic’ rose to popularity to describe girls who wore Lululemon leggings, drank pumpkin spice lattes, and religiously listened to Taylor Swift. Since then, ‘basic’ girls have evolved from Ugg boots to white Air Forces, but the sexist disapproval they receive...

This September, let’s examine ‘simping’

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

You’ve probably heard of ‘cuffing season’: in the colder months, the desire to snuggle through the winter with a partner becomes hard to resist, and more and more of your friends start changing their relationship status from ‘single’ to ‘taken.’ Suddenly, your group of friends has diminished to you...

Gender wage gaps in sports continue to miss the goal

Written on July 28, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Viewers from around the globe watched in awe on July 7 as the US women’s national soccer team took the World Cup for the second year running, defeating their competitors from the Netherlands. Co-Captain Megan Rapinoe hoisted the cup high and posed proudly for photos as adoring cheers rang out from...

There’s no need for inconsistent dress codes

Written on October 30, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

A dress code that interrupts class to call a skirt “distracting” isn’t just unproductive—it’s inappropriate. Last week, an Ontario Catholic school principal in Midland objectified female students when he interrupted a class to publicly measure their skirt lengths. He justified the disruption by saying...

ARC clothing policy values female appearance over comfort

Written on September 11, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

Uneven enforcement of an unjustified rule restricting women’s clothing choice is disappointing—but not surprising. An Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) employee recently told a young woman her workout attire was “indecent” due to an inch of midriff showing between her sports bra and high-waisted...

Sexism still present on campus

Written on April 4, 2018. Posted in Opinions.

Since universities essentially act as small microcosms of society, they often come with many of the same issues and problems present outside these walls. Often composed of a younger, more “liberal” demographic, it can be easy to think these issues aren’t as prevalent within our own communities. It’s...

‘Bromances’ aren’t a threat to women

Written on October 17, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Just because something is good for men, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for women. The rise of the so-called ‘bromance’ is no exception. In a National Post article, a survey of 30 heterosexual undergraduate men was used to study the impact of the ‘bromance.’ The results of the survey claimed that...

Taking my seat: Gerry Ritz says Barbie, I say empowering female leader

Written on October 3, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Causing controversy in the Twittersphere on September 19, Conservative Canadian Member of Parliament Gerry Ritz referred to Catherine McKenna, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, as “our climate Barbie.” We should hold our elected government officials to the highest of standards, right? Yet...

One step forward, two steps back

Written on March 31, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Arguments about how men are impacted by gender equality don’t have to tear down women to be valid. An opinion piece published in CBC, written by Neil Macdonald, argues that the 2017 federal budget, with its focus on gender equity, excluded men in its emphasis on women’s issues, such as the wage gap...

It’s not all in the numbers

Written on October 14, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Gender disparities in engineering may be the result of a larger cultural issue, but relieving the impact on students isn’t out of University’s hands. A feature published in The Journal last week showed that for some female engineering students in the faculty’s least gender-balanced discipline — electrical...

When gender neutrality becomes gender disparity, reevaluate

Written on August 2, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Mistaking equality for equity fails in practice to level the playing field for female professors. It may seem like a one-letter difference, but policies aiming for equality won’t work unless they take into account the already uneven playing field that exists between men and women in academia. Many...

Harlequin vs. hero’s journey: “chick lit” trivializes good literature

Written on January 22, 2016. Posted in Arts.

Many of my favourite novels — books that made me laugh, cry, and envy the ability of the author — have been forced into tight genres like “chick lit” and “airport fiction” simply because they happen to be written by women. While I’ve never been a fan of squeezing my scattered taste in books into...

In her shoes

Written on November 6, 2015. Posted in Lifestyle.

As a man, I’ll never fully comprehend what it’s like to be a woman. But after a night of dressing in full drag, I gained much needed insight on the sexism and sexual harassment that many women face. When it comes to dressing up for Halloween, I’ve developed a reputation for pulling out all the stops. This...

Darts and laurels 2014-15

Written on April 3, 2015. Posted in Editorials.

Darts Admin’s failure to be proactive: The University’s reactive approach to sexual assault, anti-vaccination course material and the inaccessibility of its campus shows a disregard for students’ well-being. It apparently takes public shaming at the national level for Queen’s to take student safety...

Mental health goes beyond academic stress

Written on February 11, 2015. Posted in Opinions.

Emily Wong, ArtSci ’15 Everyone has mental health. It’s something that’s been repeated countless times by mental health support groups on campus. So far, the majority of discussions about mental health at Queen’s have centered on mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. It’s absolutely fantastic...

What’s in a word?

Written on January 28, 2015. Posted in Editorials.

I’ve been called pretty much every name in the book, but the only thing that ever really got to me was being called a misogynist. I was telling a story to some people about a trip to a friend’s cottage. I said I thought my buddy’s female cousin was hot until she packed a lip of chew. A girl in the...

Sandberg wrong to outlaw bossy

Written on March 14, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Sheryl Sandberg’s campaign to ban the word bossy is a somewhat flawed attempt to undermine a real sexist double standard. American business executive and feminist Sheryl Sandberg has teamed up with Girls Scouts of the USA to launch a public service campaign called “Ban Bossy”. The campaign hopes to...

Unaccommodating at York

Written on January 14, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Yet another controversy has sprung up at York University ― this one about religious accommodation. A male student, citing his religious beliefs, requested that a professor exempt him from participating in group projects where he’d have to meet in public with women. The professor rejected the student’s...

Wente is wrong, wrecks and rankles

Written on October 25, 2013. Posted in Editorials.

Margaret Wente’s recent column about alcohol and sexual assault had its reasonable moments, but unfortunately, these were overshadowed by the column’s many flaws. Wente argues that the easiest way to attack rape culture on university campuses is to address what she calls “booze culture” and, in particular,...

UN ad campaign

Written on October 25, 2013. Posted in Editorials.

The United Nations has released a photo series which features pictures of women with their mouths covered by sexist internet search suggestions based on Google’s autocomplete function. The search terms featured in the ads include “women need to”, “women shouldn’t” and “women cannot”, and show a drop-down...

Unextraordinary league, indeed

Written on September 20, 2013. Posted in Editorials.

A female Queen’s student was recently rejected from joining the League of Unextraordinary Gentlemen (LUG), a Kingston hockey league run by former Queen’s students, but not associated with the University. The League’s managers have handled the situation very poorly. Whether or not this has been a gross...

Sign starts debate on campus sexism

Written on September 13, 2013. Posted in Editorials.

The sign that hung from a house in the Student Ghetto during frosh week which read “Dads: Winter isn’t the only thing coming” was undoubtedly misogynistic and therefore inappropriate. The fact that a group of people thought it would be acceptable to display the sign proves we have a long way to go...

Concerns about professor

Written on November 4, 2011. Posted in News.

Updated on Friday, Nov. 4 at 12 p.m. A second-year history class has not convened in the past week. Adjunct assistant professor Mike Mason has not attended his class since he announced that students had complained to the history department about terms used in his lectures. According to students enrolled...

Tag: sexism