#YesAllWomen

*Just to prepare you, this is going to be a bit of a ranting blog post. I'm going to try to restrain myself, but this is something I feel really strongly about.*

This post is in response to the YesAllWomen hashtag that started on Twitter after 22 year old Elliot Rodger opened fire in Santa Barbara, California, leaving 6 innocent people dead, before turning the gun on himself. While I did put out a few tweets concerning this, there is no way I could have stated everything that this means to me in 140 (or less) characters. I've peppered this post with some of the wonderful tweets that are found under this hashtag on twitter. 

You should read this post if you're a girl, because you may have had a negative experience as a result of your gender in the past. If you're reading this thinking "no, this has never happened to me", two things. One: I'm really happy for you that it hasn't, but, unless there is a dramatic change in society, and this change happens soon, it probably will. Two: something that may have happened to you might not have been appropriate, however you have been conditioned by society into thinking that you gave that boy the right to touch your butt because you were wearing a short dress. You didn't.

You should read this post if you're a boy, because all women are someone's sister, mother, daughter, friend, neighbour, cousin, etc. However, more than that - all women are someone, and the role we play in a male's life should not be what defines us. You should read this post if you're a boy, because if you're one of the men proclaiming that "not all men act like this!", you're turning this into something about guys, and therefore, you're only proving our point. Not all men do act like this, and there are obviously some fantastic guys out there who are so for this cause, however it is something that the majority of women have had to put up with at some point in time, and if you're a good guy, you want to support women and stop this. 

YesAllWomen: Because I've been told by men how strongly I feel about this cause is a turn off. I do not exist to turn you on.
Yes AllWomen: Because "feminist" shouldn't be an insult

#YesAllWomen: Because this guy thinks it's okay to hijack a hashtag directed at people like him

The reasons for the aforementioned shooting rampage that has destroyed many lives were revealed in a YouTube video and a 140 page manifesto from the shooter. Honestly, I was shocked and appalled. 

"You girls have never been attracted to me. I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it." He referred to women as objects - "I want one" - and couldn't understand why women didn't want to be with him, because he was such a gentleman.

Just because he considered himself a nice guy, a gentleman, Elliot Rodger believed that he was entitled to women of his choosing. Aside from giving us a pretty good example of why girls weren't attracted to him in the first place, Rodger showed that he wasn't really a gentleman: a real gentleman would have respected the choices of the girls he pursued. Women are not a prize you get just because you're a decent human. Women should not be punished because they are not attracted to you - that's your problem, not ours. 

YesAllWomen: Because schools have dress codes, dictating how girls can dress, instead of teaching guys that what girls wear shouldn't affect them (If I was a guy, I would be offended that people think I can't control myself due to seeing a glimpse of a girl's shoulder)
YesAllWomen: Because "go make me a sandwich" is considered a funny joke. Really, how witty.

Obviously, a lot more was going on here than this guy simply thinking he was entitled to girls because he was a decent human. He had mental health problems and I'm not downplaying the importance of these in anyway. However, the problem that I have with this is that it's not just a one off for a guy to think like this, and how people are coming out saying "if only a girl had given him a chance…"(not our job). This shooting, and the reasons behind it, have opened up this argument, and this time, us girls aren't backing down until we get some equality.

I think the majority of girls can say we have been in a situation when we have felt threatened because of our sexuality or our gender. What's my experience? The one that I want to share is a guy walking past me at leavers (our end of Year 12 celebrations), and deciding that he had full rights to grab my butt. No. He didn't. I'm proud to say that I was not passive in this situation (not that there is anything wrong with not saying or doing anything if you feel threatened), and I turned around and told him off. I asked him if he would feel okay if someone was doing that to his sister or one of his girl friends. His response was to grin, and do it to another one of my friends as we walked past. 

YesAllWomen: Because "I have a boyfriend" means more than "no" - another man's 'ownership' has more meaning than my consent 
YesAllWomen: Because we coach girls how not to get raped, instead of telling males that consent is mandatory.

After Jill Meagher was raped and killed by someone who was a stranger to her after a night out with colleagues, the Internet went into a frenzy. People were shocked at what had occurred and rightfully furious at the perpetrator. However, worryingly, people were also concerned with what she was wearing. Why was she walking by herself? Ah, yes, she must have been drinking for that to happen.

WHY ARE THESE THINGS ISSUES? This infuriates me. Why can't I walk down the street in a short dress and heels? Why does someone being drunk make it more acceptable for them to be sexually assaulted? I'm not saying here that we should all have a drink, walk down the street dressed in whatever we want, alone, at night time. Why not? Because it's not safe. And I hate that it isn't.

When Daisy Coleman (then 14) was raped, the media pitied the bright young boys (her rapists) who had their futures ruined because of the media attention directed to the issue. The ordeal obviously traumatised Daisy, who has been admitted to hospital four times - twice for self mutilation, and twice for suicide attempts. The boys admitted that they raped her - there was also video evidence - however, no charges have been laid. One of the sherifs involved in the case, Sheriff Daren White, stated that "I believe the girls freely admitted they were drinking at home and they snuck out". Why does that make what occurred any more acceptable? 

YesAllWomen: Because 97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail. 
YesAllWomen: Because I shouldn't be told I'm being sensitive when rape jokes make me uncomfortable. 
YesAllWomen: Because I'm so sick of having to learn rules for my safety, when boys should be learning rules for their behaviour. 

Speak out: do it for yourself, do it for your friends, strangers, your mother, your sister, your family, that girl sitting across from you in your class. All women will probably have to put up with sexism, discrimination, unwanted (and declined) advances, fear when walking alone, and other awful things that only happen to us because we're girls. No woman should have to put up with this.

However, yes, all women can see something beautiful that is evolving on Twitter, on Tumblr, in conversations with girls and guys and in text messages sent to friends. Yes, all women have the power to bring about the change that is needed so a hashtag like this is not necessary. I don't want to have to tell my daughters one day that they need to be so careful of their drinks when they go out, that they shouldn't wear that because it will give boys the wrong idea, and that the reason a boy is being mean to her is because "he likes you". But with so much support behind this one hashtag, and this idea building and spreading, I don't believe I will have to.

Run for a Reason

I wanted to take this post to introduce you all to a very special person, one of my best friends, Sophia. Sophia is amazing for so many reasons, but I'll list a couple here.

1. She loves Downton Abbey

2. Sophia plays the piano really well

3. She is probably one of the most tolerant people I have met in my whole life

4. Sophia takes teasing so well and she has the best laugh (so it's really fun to tease her)

5. Soph's an amazing listener

6. The best brownies in the world are made by Soph (and they're gluten free!)

7. She is studying a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology and English, as well as studying a Diploma in French on the side (so basically, she's a clever cookie!)

However, for the last five years Sophia has been left in a wheelchair due to two diseases which affect her life - Postural Orthostatic Tacycardia Syndrome (POTS) and NK cell dysfunction (which is really rare). Sophia was kind enough to write a quick rundown of the illnesses. "POTS is the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system so the whole body is effected - I have been in a wheelchair for the past 5 years, as due to the body's inability to maintain an upright position, any postural change results in tachycarida and I faint. NK cell dysfunctions affects the NK cells which are the body's 'natural killer' cells. I have a very low number of NK cells and these cells have 0 function so they don't work at all in the body. This has a negative immunological effect as the body has no resistance to viruses."

This would obviously be a heartbreaking and life changing experience for anyone, but Sophia was a talented ballerina who hoped to make this her profession. I have never heard Sophia complain once about her illnesses - she is always so positive and happy and is honestly an inspiration.

Soph's mum is also amazing, and she will be running in the 12km Run for a Reason in a few weeks, and, if Sophia is feeling up to it, her mum will be pushing her through the course as well. They will be raising money for Rare Voices Australia, a charity that focuses on rare diseases. Everyone hates being sick, but can you imagine having anything impact on your life the way Soph's illnesses have? 

Sophia is aiming to raise $2000 for her cause so if you would be able to support her in this, she and her family will appreciate it so much. Do it for Sophia, do it for the 6-8% of Australians and the 70 million people world wide who suffer from a rare disease. Take a few minutes to spend a few dollars, and you can make a difference :)

Here is the link if you would like to donate to Sophia: http://www.mycause.com.au/page/70691/ hyperlink

10 things I have done this week that weren't my politics essay

With an important essay due date approaching just around the corner, what better time to do everything but that! Here are 10 things I did this week that I will surely regret when I am desperately typing tonight and tomorrow night.

1. I went out for an amazing lunch with one of my friends yesterday. It was such a nice surprise getting a call while I was (sort of) slaving away at my essay asking if I was free and wanted to catch up. We headed to Cioccolato in the Applecross village where we indulged in toasted cheese, chicken and avocado sandwiches with a chocolate milkshake. So good!

2. Cleaned out my wardrobe (mostly) and started selling things on eBay. I used to be really mindful of keeping things that I didn't wear because it was a waste to get rid of them, however I'm starting to realise that it's more wasteful keeping them around when they never see the light of day. It's a bit like free money as well (well, almost).

3. Read two books: one I had been reading for awhile and just finished, the other I read cover to cover in 4 days. Reviews will be up for them in a few days (that's something else to add to the list of what I have been doing instead of studying!)

4. Creating pretentiously styled arty posts for my Instagram - follow me @laurarobinblog if you are so inclined, and view my Instagram catch up post here if you would like.

5. I went out for tea and scones with my dad today which was so nice - after we finished our Mother's Day shopping, we stopped at Miss Maud's. It was really nice to have a chat with him - we're both busy at different times and so a lot of the time I see him it seems like a quick "hi, love you, bye!" so it was great to sit down and talk. Even though he kept bringing up the ultimate Mother's Day gift he found (and trust me, it really is perfect - I wish I had found it first!)

6. I joined a gym. Yep. Procrastination got that bad. (Okay, I potentially may have already planned to join but doing it this week was a stroke of procrastinating genius.)

7. Watched Eurovision - I'm actually so obsessed with this. My personal favourites are The Netherlands  and Iceland although I really enjoyed Latvia (Bake a Cake?), Ukraine and Russia as well. I'm so bad at picking who will win so I really have no idea, but I can't wait to sit down and watch it tonight and tomorrow night.

8. Painted my nails… this is a personal procrastination favourite as you need to paint them, and then wait for them to dry. And you can't do anything while you wait for them to dry except watch YouTube videos and type. Maybe I should have typed that essay...

9. Extended room tidy up, because we all know how hard it is to concentrate when there is mess behind you/ in a cupboard/ somewhere you can't see it but it really bothers you all of a sudden (probably because it's slightly more fun than that essay!)

10. I sat down to write my essay, and instead, I wrote this blog post.

Happy Saturday!

"When you're too busy looking down, you don't see the chances you miss".

Before I start, I just want to let you know that no, the irony does not escape me that I'm a blogger, writing about how we need to put technology down to just live! Or as a teenager, someone who spends a lot of time texting and reading content on the Internet. However, I think we all could take a moment to think about how the Internet is not our life, and how there is something even more beautiful than perfectly captured Instagram photos that we can enjoy if we just step away from our screens.

The other I day I watched this video, and it really struck me. You should watch it, but if you don't, it's basically about how we get so caught up in technology that we refrain from really existing. In all honesty, when this video was playing on my computer I had to fight the urge to pause it to check Snapchats, texts, and a Facebook message I had coming in. Doesn't that really say it all? In such a digital world, there are so many temptations around. However, when it comes to the end of our lives, will we ever remember how many likes that Instagram photo of us at the beach got? Or will we remember how much fun it was, splashing around? Maybe (cringe) we'll only remember looking through our iPhone screen, as we tried to capture the perfect image to make everyone jealous of our day. #wishyouwerehere #rottnest #lastraysofsummer #bestdayever

For me, blogging is about creating enjoyable content that I can look back on, as well as reading other people's content. However, I can get caught up in the Instagramming/ Tweeting/ Facebooking of it all, seeing how many likes my photos get and how many people see my posts. While yeah, it's really exciting to know that I have nearly reached 1000 views, I should be focussing more on how I feel with what I'm putting up, and whether I'm happy with my little corner of the Internet. That's one of the main aspects of the video - don't focus on what everyone else thinks about what you're doing.

While I do understand the importance of technology, and I appreciate it so much (possibly too much), I think I need to step away from it all sometimes. Instead of a text conversation, I should initiate coffee; instead of sending someone a photograph of something fun I did, I should invite them along next time. If I sound like I'm preaching, I'm not trying to - I am probably more guilty than most of being attached to some sort of technology! Last night I made a decision to try not to use my phone too much and put it down before bed to read a book - in the last 24 hours I have managed to read 250 pages of a book, finishing it (aka not doing my uni essay but we'll ignore that for now).

Like the video points out, we only have a finite number of days that we live for. Nothing is worse than regret, and I can't imagine anything worse than getting to the end of my life and not having met people at parties (or, like in the video, walking down the street), because my nose was buried in a group message about something meaningless. Obviously everything I'm saying in this post is very exaggerated but I think it's still something important to think about and something I (obviously) have an opinion on.

What do you think about your use of technology?

May Resolutions: Things To Do More Of

As it rolls around to May (how did we get here?) I know my New Years Resolutions are long forgotten. Maybe you stuck with them and they now seem normal, maybe (like me…and possibly most people), you lasted about a week and then forgot about them because, let's face it, chocolate is more fun than the no sugar diet you promised yourself.

So here are my May Resolutions - some things I want to try doing more of. And don't worry, the chocolate is staying.

1. Zen it up
Not going lie, I can be a full on stress head - with everything from friendships, school work, to tiny little insignificant things that really don't matter. Not only does this make me not that much fun to be around sometimes, it also stresses me out a lot over small things. I'm going to really try to be calmer this month - take a leaf out of Idina Menzel's book and "Let It Go" - and try not to let things bother me too much, especially when it's something I can't change. (I would say I'll try and do a little bit of yoga, but the closest I'll ever get to meditation is when trying to decide between a chocolate bar or a packet of lollies [and ultimately choosing both]).

2. Go to bed earlier
This one is a bit of an obvious one… attempting to head to bed by 9pm, and all of a sudden it's 1am and you're lost in the Internet/ a book/ texting a friend. I want to try going to sleep earlier because I always pay for my late nights the next day. So, lights off by 10:30, and off to sleep for me!

3. Listen to different music
After attending the Fairbridge Festival (read my post about that here) I discovered some amazing music which I really loved. It's not music that I really would have found before, so this month I'm going to attempt to venture out of the top 100 iTunes chart and have a look (listen?) around to find some more different music that I enjoy.

4. Go to the gym more
After having started rehabilitation for an injury in my back, I've been heading to the gym more for sessions with an exercise physiologist. For all the (mostly lighthearted) complaining I do to my family (and friends and non friends and anyone who will listen) about this "forced exercise", I haven't minded going to the gym more often. This month, I want to try and go a few times a week - not only will the exercises make my back stronger so I can return to the sports I love like dancing and netball, it will also make me fitter (I can now stay on a cross trainer for 15 minutes without completely dying…I really did not see that coming) and allow me to guiltlessly enjoy more of that chocolate that I won't be cutting out of my diet.

5. Read more books
Because what is a better companion to the cold weather than a good novel? I am a massive bookworm, however I tend to get caught up in magazines/ pointless websites nowadays, instead of reading the massive pile of books that I have recently accumulated because "wow, that looks good!" Reading is an activity I love doing, so this month I'm going to make time to do a lot more of it.

What do you want to do more of this month?