15 Sep 2021

There’s a reason why people get ecstatic when a woman is in power - it’s a glimpse of hope for the children growing up in a world that is still controlled by systematic misogyny, designed to kick women down from the moment they come out of the womb. And that’s facts.

According to the mainstream media, if women don’t aspire to have children or a partner, they’re too work focused meaning they’re unloving and cold. If they do have children, they need to step down because they are incompetent and can’t do their job. And we see women sick and tired of this rhetoric. Take this masterpiece for example:

An anthem.

We're taught from a young age that we can do anything we want in life but as soon as a man feels threatened, women are pitted against each other and broken down, stripped of their dignity. Their skills, abilities, values and anything they're good at is no longer thought about or measured against - it’s just the mere fact that she’s a female, therefore an easy target.

Being a female, there was always this discredit to girls where we were compared to boys in assessment marks, rankings and practical sports periods as if we needed to prove ourselves worthy. I was scared to walk home from school by myself. Looking back on that, it’s quite shocking that protecting myself from men was instilled in me from such a young age. And no, it’s “not all men” but this narcissistic behaviour that we see all around us, makes us think we must protect ourselves in all aspects of life - whether that’s in the workplace, at home or just out on the street.

I think documentaries are the GOAT of television - they uncover archival footage, audio and imagery that gets us thinking differently from the time they were released. We’re in a different headspace and we’ve progressed in society enough to have a different point of view on what went on at the time. 

And that is exactly why the doco, Strong Female Lead is a perfect example and terrible tear down of women in a public role, that is experienced in every role to some degree.

Whether or not you liked Julia Gillard as a prime minister, the amount of public scrutiny, the response and tone from the media as well as within parliament was a disgrace. We look back on our media and think, how did we let this type of shameful public opinion rule our newspapers and television screens? This doco calls attention to her leadership and the respect that she deserved at the time - hell, she was the first ever female prime minister to serve our country. 

No matter to what degree we criticise politicians, it has never been close to what Julia Gillard experienced. She copped it hard. There were vitriolic, sexist cartoon images in the paper, she was catcalled, mocked and the rest of it had nothing to do with how she led the country, but because she was a female in a position of authority. And that is why this speech is the most unforgettable, nine years on:

@shelbysherrittart

Reply to @itsjustkayte   Julia Gillard’s iconic misogyny speech on a mug for IWD #iwd2021 #iwd #thankstoher

♬ original sound - minorfauna

If you don’t know the original, the misogyny speech was an awakening. It was powerful. It unlocked a sense of empowerment. It was relentless and we loved it. The best part? It wasn’t even planned but yet it resonated with women all around the world. 

But that begs to the question, why does it need to get to this point for people to take women seriously? Do you think Australia has progressed since then? I’m convinced we haven’t and we need a change for equality. For a fair treatment. So that we can be empowering women and have inspiring role models, no matter our life decisions.