Stop shaming women for what they wear
When I was younger, I really enjoyed showing off my body.
Short skirts and tiny tops were my go-to’s.
And for that, I got called a “slut” or “whore” many times. But I loved the way I looked, so I tried my best not to care too much.
Now that I’m in my late twenties, my garderobe has slightly changed, but I still enjoy wearing a short skirt every now or then. Both versions of me are valid. But only one of them would be considered a “respectful young lady” by an overwhelming majority of people.
That’s because we are…
How to get your work published in Medium’s publications
In March, I published a total of 20 articles in 13 unique publications. That included both well-established publications as well as more niche ones.
It was my very first time writing for most of them.
I haven’t been publishing regularly on Medium before, but I have decided to do a few career changes this year. I now work as a full-time video content creator and writer. March was essentially the second month of really trying to grow my Medium platform.
And because I’m still relatively new to the whole I am a writer thing, I wanted to try out several…
OPEN LETTERS
I regret buying you
Dear eye cream,
Look, I will be brutally honest with you. I only bought you because I was told that eye creams are a must-have product at my age. Because I am a woman. And apparently, I’m nearing my expiration date.
It’s nothing personal. I’m sure you’re one hell of eye cream. Full of vitamins, minerals and other great ingredients.
I’m sure that under other circumstances we would be the best of friends.
But the thing is, I don’t want to give in to this mass hysteria that, as a woman, I absolutely cannot look my age. That I can’t…
Dismantling the religious roots of patriarchy.
I’m a feminist. I’m also an atheist.
Both of these labels aren’t kindly looked on; let me tell you that. If you combine them, you get a real Molotov cocktail: an atheist feminist.
But I wear that badge proudly because I believe secular values should go hand in hand with gender equality and vice versa. The problem begins when either side fails to acknowledge the importance of the other. And that, unfortunately, still happens.
I grew up in Poland — a Catholic, post-Soviet country in Eastern Europe. My family was very religious; going to church every Sunday and daily prayers…
A world organised and ran by women
Patriarchy exists almost everywhere in the world.
It is a social structure in which men are considered to have a monopoly on power, and women are expected to submit. Luckily, those patriarchal structures gradually start to change as a result of the feminist movement.
But it’s a common misconception to assume that they existed as long as humankind did.
Patriarchy in itself is a relatively young concept. If you look far enough back into history, you’ll find that human society was matriarchal — or at least “woman-centred” from the Paleolithic era until sometime around 3000 BCE.
Women used to be…
The war on imperfections must end
A candid photo of Khloé Kardashian in a bikini started circulating the internet a few days ago.
And it sparked a lot of drama.
According to the chief marketing officer for KKW brands, it was mistakenly posted to social media by an assistant.
The picture in question is visibly different from the typical photos appearing on the Kardashian clan social media feeds. Most of them are carefully posed, lit, styled and curated pictures with heavy use of filters.
But not this one. It doesn’t include the typical image manipulation we’ve come to expect, and it shows a different side of…
The scary part is, this is not the first time the death penalty is proposed to penalise abortion in the US
A few weeks ago, a Texas lawmaker, Bryan Slaton, filed a bill that would not only ban abortions but also impose the death penalty on women and physicians performing the procedure. The legislation does not include exceptions for rape or incest.
When I first saw this news headline, I thought I must still be sleeping, and this is just another nightmare.
Unfortunately, it isn’t.
I have recently written about Arkansas and at least 14 states in the US to have proposed outright bans on abortions this year. …
Many ancient civilisations recognised an intermediate state between man and woman
Most of us probably grew up learning that gender comes in two distinct flavors: men and women. And you know who’s who based on their biological sex.
For a long time, this gender binary was well anchored within our society and social norms. Much of the world around us today is based upon this understanding of sex and gender, from the clothes we buy to public bathrooms.
In recent decades, our understanding of gender has slowly started to change. …
It unsurprisingly sparked a wave of right-wing criticism
Lil Nas X’s unapologetic queerness in his newly released video for MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) is just *chef’s kiss*.
And it is so much more than just another gay anthem.
The video, released on the 26th of March, received an instant wave of criticism from Christians and conservatives alike.
On the one hand, I’m not surprised; in the video, Lil Nas X is literally sliding down a stripper pole to hell to give Satan a lap dance. It was bound to anger some people. …
And free ourselves from the conviction we need to wear one
I stopped wearing a bra over a year ago.
And I wasn’t alone in that.
With the rise of remote work and social distancing rules imposed throughout the world, women were free to ditch these, often uncomfortable, breast contraptions.
Although even before the pandemic turned our world upside down, I wasn’t a huge fan of wearing one.
Sure, I might have sporadically enjoyed wearing an extra push-up bra to pretend I have a D instead of a B-cup. But I never truly got why is it so deeply ingrained in our brains that we need to wear it. Every. Single…
Katie Jgln
I write and make video content about society, culture, history, business and psychology. Yes, I know that’s a lot. www.linktr.ee/katiejgln
