A Room with a View

Last term I heard about a talk and screening that the Women’s Group were putting on, looking at pornography and a woman’s place in it. I immediately thought: ‘haven’t I heard this one before?’. However, in a desperate attempt to leave the library, I brushed my preconceptions aside and went along.

Arriving a little late, I sneaked in amongst the moans and groans of what was being shown on the film: predominantly a female look into adult entertainment. Although sometimes a little clichéd, the film on the whole was interesting; it looked at numerous sides of the porn industry and shed some light on filmmakers trying to focus on female pleasure, and not simply male eroticism. The discussion that followed was what really sold the event to me though – young, confident women (and a few men!) talking about the film without fear of being labelled or scoffed at, which helped the talk flow with zest and honesty. I left intrigued.

After meeting last week with one of the women who held the talk, Lauren brown, I am still surprised at how passionate she is on the subject of gender, and more specifically its place on campus (something that I hadn’t really thought about before – which is exactly her point). She explains, “the sexism on campus isn’t the blatant one we are familiar with; rather it is much more subtle. It happens in seminars. Men even dominated the talk about the rugby attack on those women. It is on the posters dotted around campus.” The examples she gives are of a recent sexual harassment awareness campaign run by the Metropolitan police: the posters are blue for men and pink for girls. Another poster, promoting an R&B night in Brighton, features a heavily sexualised picture of a woman. Lauren points out how upsetting it is to women on campus knowing that the University approves such posters. (In response, the Women’s Group have designed their own campaign which is gender neutral, and encourages people to think carefully about sexual violence in different contexts.

“This is why we have a women’s room on campus – a place for women, and only women, to come and voice concerns such as these”. The room, located in Falmer House, which is open to transgender women too, was set up when the university opened in the 1960s. Discussions are regularly held on subjects such as sexual health, women in the media, and other women’s groups across the country. But most importantly, it is somewhere for women to come and feel safe and relaxed, away from the “male gaze”.

I begin to see her point, and wonder what can be done to improve the situation. Many would argue that women are now equal enough, and those who push for more are deemed “radical feminists” or even “bra burners”. Lauren stresses the importance of education, and “conscious raising”, ensuring that women aren’t afraid of the people – usually men, but increasingly women too – who give them these labels. “Women shouldn’t shy away from the label ‘feminist’. It shouldn’t be understood as something that states your position on subjects. Instead, it can be used as a way of understanding; it can help put things into perspective; it can help put feelings into context”.

Outside of the room, the Women’s Group are very successful in holding events to raise awareness for their causes. For example, an International Women’s Day event was held in the meeting house last year, during which vagina monologues were read out, and painting of the female body (and sometimes their more intimate parts) took place. To celebrate it this year, they are putting on a pop night, where the theme will be women. An event that also stands out is Reclaim the Night, which is a cross-country campaign aiming to make the night safer for women. On this, Lauren emphasises improvements that could be made at Sussex inspired by this campaign, such as more lighting to make campus less intimidating: “It is something that wouldn’t seem a priority considering other needs on campus, but is important”.

It appears, after talking to Lauren and since becoming more attuned to the subtle sexism that can be found on campus, that the group is an important organisation for this university. The Women’s Group are welcoming and non-threatening; they promote individuality and confidence amongst females without having to shove a megaphone in your face. They want women to feel empowered, not afraid.

To get in touch with the Women’s Group on campus you can email them at womensgroup@riseup.net, or visit their Facebook page (Sussex University Women’s Group).