Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian writer and fierce feminist activist, teams up with physicist Helen Czerski to challenge the patriarchy. They discuss her compelling concept of seven necessary 'sins' for women, including anger and ambition, recasting them as virtuous. They explore the empowering nature of anger and advocate for transforming societal norms. The conversation also delves into the urgent need for a vocal feminism that confronts gender-based violence and amplifies marginalized voices, especially in today's world.
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Personal Experiences with Assault
Mona Eltahawy describes being sexually assaulted at 15 and 50.
At 50, she fought back, highlighting the shame from the first incident and empowerment from the second.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Empowering Girls with Rage Curriculum
Create a "Rage for Girls" curriculum.
Expose girls to feminist icons like Ursula K. Le Guin and June Jordan, emphasizing their power.
insights INSIGHT
Profanity as Resistance
The patriarchy controls women's bodies and language.
Profanity becomes a form of verbal civil disobedience against this control.
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Mona Eltahawy's "The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls" challenges traditional notions of femininity and societal expectations placed upon women. The book uses the framework of seven 'sins' – anger, ambition, profanity, violence, attention, lust, and power – to argue that these are not vices but essential virtues for women to embrace in their fight against patriarchy. Eltahawy encourages women to harness these qualities to dismantle oppressive systems and reclaim their agency. The book is a powerful call to action, urging women to embrace their full selves and fight for liberation. It's a blend of personal anecdotes, insightful analysis, and a passionate call for revolutionary change.
Hood Feminism
Mickey Kendall
International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. There are seven necessary sins for women and girls, that's according to Egyptian writer and activist Mona Eltahawy. Anger, ambition, profanity, violence, attention, lust, and power, are all attributes that the patriarchy sees as vices for women, she says, but these should be harnessed as virtues. On this episode of the podcast, which was recorded in 2021, Mona was joined in conversation by physicist and broadcaster Helen Czerski to discuss how women and girls can tap into their inner fury, and rather than surviving the patriarchy, they can dismantle it.
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