A need, not a want What the recent ratification of the Women and Gender Equity Network tells us about the struggle for gender equity on our campus
By: Ruchika Gothoskar With a unanimous vote resulting in the ratification of MSU Women and Gender Equity Network as a fully operating service on March 22, it was clear that many students wanted to see the further success of WGEN. However, in 2015, this is the first time that McMaster University has successfully passed a motion that made a women’s centre a definite on-campus possibility for students. Historically, women’s centres have...
Empowering Muslim women The importance of female Muslim representation in professional fields
By: Zaynab Al-waadh and Sunia Hassan As young Muslim women, we rarely find ourselves reflected in the careers we want to pursue. Is this because there are no Muslim women who are lawyers, doctors or entrepreneurs? Or is this because we lack the drive to exist in such positions? We refuse to accept either of these ideas. Rather, this lack of visibility is because our existence and achievements in these positions are rarely recognized...
The Selma snub Lack of a Best Director nomination for the film should spark discussion
Film awards have been, and probably always will be, rooted in Hollywood politics. From snubs to last-minute bidding, it seems as though the merit of individual films are often overlooked in favour of marketability. The 2015 Oscar nominations were recently announced and have resulted in many discussions about race relations in Hollywood. Not only were the acting categories all white, many have begun to examine why certain films were...
Why aren’t women running? Accounting for an all-male presidential race
Two days into the presidential campaign, The Silhouette is ready to make a bold prediction: the next MSU president will be a man. After a year with two female and three male candidates, this race feels like a setback for a student union that has had only four female presidents in its 125-year history. Given that women make up more than half of our student body, the consistently higher number of male candidates and presidents is not...
Perpetuating rape culture What our society still gets wrong about sexual harassment
By: Isabel Contin Last week, I was leaving a small get together at my friend’s apartment building. As I was walking to my car at around 2 a.m., I noticed someone following me. Out of fear and panic I decided not to look back and walk as swiftly as I could to get to my car safely. The unknown stranger never said or did anything, but I could hear his footsteps following closely behind me. As the only girl in my family, I had been raised...
Pits out for the girls Some women are growing out and dyeing their armpit hair. Is this trend here to stay, or just a fad?
As I was scrolling through Tumblr, I came across photos of a new, rather strange, fashion trend far more unusual than the “far-out there trends.” Some women are dyeing their armpit hair, sometimes to match the colour of the hair on their head. Media outlets such as the Washington Post and Huffington Post have speculated as to whether this bizarre trend is a fashion fad or a new radical demonstration of modern feminism. Whether fad or...
