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demmiblue

(36,858 posts)
Sat Dec 29, 2018, 11:33 AM Dec 2018

The year in patriarchy: from Kavanaugh's fury to Serena Williams's catsuit

It was the best of times, the worst of times and the stupidest of times. Twenty-eighteen was an exhausting, eventful year.

On the one hand, it was a year of progress: the #MeToo movement grew globally, catalyzing not just conversation but policy change. Record numbers of women ran for, and won, office in the US. Bill Cosby was convicted in the first big celebrity criminal trial of the #MeToo era. Ireland repealed its abortion ban.

From pop culture to politics, there were a lot of firsts. Sandra Oh became the first Asian actress to be nominated for an Emmy. Beyoncé became the first black woman to headline Coachella. Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim woman elected to Congress. Canadian physicist Donna Strickland became the first woman in 55 years to win the Nobel prize in physics.

But progress isn’t linear; 2018 also had a deeply anti-feminist thread. The row over Serena Williams’s catsuit proved you can be a sporting superstar and still have your clothing policed by the patriarchy. We saw the rise of male supremacist groups. Several US states tightened access to abortion, with Iowa passing one of the strictest abortion laws in the industrialized world. Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right misogynist, was elected president of Brazil. Donald Trump remained misogynist-in-chief of America.

A lot happened, and we’re here to recap the highlights and lowlights for you. From Bill Cosby’s conviction to Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, here are 10 big moments from the year in patriarchy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/29/year-in-patriarchy-brett-kavanaugh-serena-williams-metoo?CMP=twt_gu
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