Is feminism still alive or just kicking

Feminists are currently fighting their big girl pants off  to keep the ground they have  hard won over several decades. Donning big boots,  off they go again to fight another fight, a bit more weaponised than 50 years ago, but still in fear and trembling of what the future may hold for their daughters, granddaughters, sisters, friends. It's disheartening to hear our sisters are still chanting and waving placards that say, "My body, my rights, my decision....my life." I read one statement that said, "Woman's rights ARE human rights." Whoever said that women aren't human? What a travesty and at guess, the chauvinist men in power still making decisions for women that suit men. Or just power hungry blokes trying to teach us a lesson, "put us in our place." 

I was pondering the biblical view of women and the disrespect and mistreatment goes right back to the Garden of Eden, when Adam, on being sprung eating the fruit that he had been told not to, said to God, "the woman you gave me, said I could eat it." So there he goes, defying God, lying, and then blaming "the woman". What a cheek! What a blardy nerve!! Talking to God like that, and being mean to his beautiful wife. And that is what we are still seeing today. Men not looking after woman by respecting, serving, loving and caring for them, treating them as equals and blaming others when they fall down in their roles. In the meantime...

In New Zealand, the Tui (beer) brewing company famous for their "Yeh right!" billboards that take a dig at the social issues and injustices of our time, have dropped their recent PC approach, coming back with a vengeance in calling out misogynist, sexually abusive professional or celebrity men. One billboard stated, "Surely that's the last of the Hollywood sex pests" in reference to the Sean Coombes case. The current billboard takes a dig at high profile murder trial here in New Zealand where it came to light that the accused, a doctor, was also a regular meth user and frequenter of call-girls. While he was acquitted of murder, he did not the escape the character assassination that he deserved, as his defence team tried to paint his more professional, successful and high earning wife as unstable, suicidal, needy, etc. The general thought is that he drove her to suicide through years of misogynistic emotional and mental abuse with the rider being, "she dies, he goes back to his cosy life of sex, drugs, money, power, whatever." Maybe I am being too blunt here but the scales of equality are still not tipping equally between the sexes. In a culture where beer is the drink of tough guys and Kiwi blokes, it's nice to see the Brewery coming on board as a defender of women as their company profits largely come from beer drinking men . Although, it is now socially acceptable for woman to drink beer, and millions do, and from the bottle. I don't do either preferring wine, and preferably from New Zealand-even better, Sam Neil's Pinot Noir.

So feminism is alive, though flagging and probably feeling rather tired from trying to hold the ground already won, while simultaneously fighting to take back lost rights and win some new ones. Men keeping making promises, laws, rules and regulations in favour of women, only to break the rules again a few decades later. The knot is tightening and in that famous quote from Oscar Wilde, "those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it." So here we go again, doom, doom, dooming, never learning, neither side winning. Peace talks have been off the kitchen table for years, as women flee the shackles of domesticity for a freedom more scary in the wilds of civilisation. I'm not sure what is going to happen; where we are all heading or who needs saving more!?                                                           

Domestic abuse and spousal murder stats are rising, the same with sex trafficking, child prostitution and pornography. Drug use, coupled with depression and rising cases of suicide,  all make for grim reading in the data for women's health and well-being around the world.  It's a crying pity. No sooner do we get a warm hearted intelligent woman into office, i.e. Parliament, local councils, Number 10, than the madding crowds are baying for her blood, her job and sending death threats to her family. In the States at the moment there is a man V woman battle going on for the Oval Office. Women endorsing Kamala, men cheering for Tramp (that's not a spelling error). Boy versus girl. The divide is real. The whole world has picked a side in this election. 

This unending debate, it feels so political, the power tussle almost unto death. Woman's rights ARE human rights but if a more inclusive humanity could function at a point where Human Rights encapsulates both sexes, all genders, every race and creed, I think there's a chance we could a live together in peace and harmony

But I do want to finish on a hopeful note, and end strong as my editor frequently tells me to do. It warmed my heart to read that Brooklyn Beckham, son of  talented superstar/sex symbols, David and Victoria, as well as being damn nice people, took on his partner's name so that they now share a double barrel surname, Peltz-Beckham. A nice gesture to signify to the world that he doesn't have a problem being an equal in a high profile marriage. I'd say he has his dad to thank for that. David Beckham has always been his wife's biggest fan and loyal supporter in all she does, never diminished by her two successful careers as a Spice Girl plus a fashion designer and model. David has proved you can be rich, famous, talented, a good hubby and father with never a whiff of misogyny. In fact he made headlines regularly while playing for Manchester United for not just his amazing football skills but his hairdos and fashion style off the field. This was a guy who his wife famously joked in a television interview that, "David has more shoes in his closet than me." A macho man who was not afraid to experiment with his feminine side...LOL. Lead the way Lord Beckham and show those geezers out there how it's done! He's not really a Lord, I just threw that in. He should be though, don't you think?! In a world of fallen celebrities and some terrifying male politicians he rises above the flotsam to lead men into a new dawn of masculinity. Score to Team Beckham, for not being afraid to celebrate and honour women in the 21st Century!