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Volume 10, Issue 2 (2025)Read More

Featured Content

Journal Article
1 December 2020

A Mule for the Patriarchy: Waking Up to the Harm of Prostitution to Wives and Families

Andrea Heinz
I exited from commercial sexual exploitation eight years ago. Here, I share my reflections on how my actions directly impacted other women. I describe how my participation in the sex trade adversely affected the wives and girlfriends of sex buyers. I posit that sex sellers negatively impact these vicarious victims by subscribing to and endorsing “sex work” ideology. I assert that the collective good of all women is diminished by viewing sexual services as a market commodity. I stress that the collective good of all women is enhanced by assuming responsibility and compassion for one another.
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Journal Article
1 December 2020

Throwing off the Corset: A Contemporary History of the Beauty Resistance Movement in South Korea

Hyejung Park
The tal-corset movement, a beauty resistance campaign, swept South Korea’s feminist scene in 2018 and became a phenomenon bringing about unprecedented social changes in South Korea. This article explains sociocultural contexts to South Korea’s tal-corset movement through group interviews and examination of online materials. It documents the contemporary history of the development of the movement from a feminist perspective. Findings show that movement participants see beauty practice as social oppression imposed on women’s bodies and appearances and the marker of women’s low social status. The new wave of an online feminist movement that emerged in 2015 created women-only communities that enabled South Korean women to share their personal experiences as women and to reach the conclusion that in order to reject femininity and sexual objectification of women, they needed to take off the corset collectively. Awareness was manifested by encouraging other women to reject beauty practice and display their own tal-corset practice online and offline. This article argues that tal-corset movement is a feminist political movement that aims to eradicate femininity as social oppression. Female solidarity and connectedness played an essential role in forming the rationale and the tactics of the movement.
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Current Articles

Journal Article1 March 2025

Hijacking Frederick Douglass: How Conservatives Exploit His Legacy for Political and Ideological Gain

Kenneth Morris
Conservatives distort Frederick Douglass’s legacy to advance political and ideological narratives that contradict his advocacy for racial justice and civil rights. Among them, Black conservatives invoke Douglass to justify their opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts while appealing to reactionary audiences. By stripping his writings of historical context, they reshape his message in ways that obscure his calls for systemic change. Some exploit his name and image for financial gain. As Douglass’s great-great-great-grandson, the author directly confronts these distortions with historical evidence and personal insight. This work calls for an honest engagement with Douglass’s full legacy and challenges those who manipulate his words for political convenience.
Journal Article1 March 2025

Wells of Pain, Walls of Silence: October 7 and Sexual Violence Against Women at Wartime

Shulamit Almog, Gal Amir
This essay focuses on sexual violence against women during the October 7 massacre and the following captivity of female hostages in the Gaza Strip. Its premise is twofold. First, it puts forward the resoluteness with which sexual violence against women must be condemned, as it transcends any politics. Sexual violence against women is unacceptable under any circumstances and cannot be used as a weapon in any kind of conflict. Next, various silencing walls that obstruct both condemnation of such violence and full exposure of it will be delineated. These are walls of Political Silence, Collective Shame Silence, Victim’s Shame Silence, and Post-Traumatic Silence. While these categories may overlap, this taxonomy helps illuminate the various factors that perpetuate silence regarding wartime sexual violence against women. These walls of silence not only obstruct truth-finding but also impede accountability and the development of effective preventive measures against future sexual violence against women. As concluded, there is an urgent need to dismantle themechanisms that obscure wartime sexual violence and to invest efforts in strengthening new strategies that will effectively protect women from sexual violence in wartime.
Journal Article1 March 2025

Imposed Femininity and Women's Mental Health: The Case of the Hijab in Iran

Atefeh Batyari
The construction of feminine identity in Iran is deeply intertwined with the religious and political contexts surrounding the hijab. For Iranian women, the hijab serves as a significant femininity identifier that influences their body image and societal perception. The distinction between optional and mandatory hijab is crucial, as it leads to different outcomes in how femininity is expressed and perceived. When hijab is mandated, it creates a conflict between the official state culture and the popular culture of the people, resulting in a complex social dynamic. The ambivalence surrounding the hijab issue underscores the disparities between the Islamic Republic regime's stance on hijab and the diverse opinions of its citizens. The tension surrounding the hijab issue has become one of the significant social challenges in Iran, raising concerns about women's mental health. The ongoing dialogue surrounding the hijab in Iran serves as a critical lens through which to understand the complexities of Iranian women's identity in a rapidly changing world. By recognizing the diverse perspectives on the hijab, society can strive towards a more inclusive understanding of femininity that respects individual choices and promotes women's rights. This recognition is essential for fostering a more equitable society where women's identities are embraced rather than restricted by rigid norms.