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Month: June 2010

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So what is feminism about, really?

If you’d like to know more about how gender roles took shape over time, join us at our Gender Matters workshops. It’s a crash course in feminism, and you’ll see how our beliefs and behaviours are shaped by the conventions of our society.

By Meiling Wong

Our first Gender Matters workshop on the history of feminism threw up a good deal of insightful debate and discussion. Join us for the second and third instalments of our Gender Matters series, where you will learn about how gender roles took shape over time, the impact of these conventions and expectations on our beliefs and behaviours, and discover what feminism can offer you.

For instance, as a child, were you given dolls when you really wanted to play with trucks or Lego? Were you compelled to learn to cook when you would rather have gone to welding class?

Fiat Billboard for the 127 Palio from the 70s

Today, when you choose clothes for your daughter or niece, do you automatically go for the reds and pinks? Do you wear high heels because YOU really like them or because that’s what’s expected of a woman?

Women today appear to have many choices. Or do we? To what extent are our choices dictated or influenced by social conventions?

Gender is not just a matter of the physical attributes of being a boy or a girl. There are the social norms that say women have prime responsibility for the home and that men are the main breadwinners. There are certain expectations about what a woman should look like, and be like.

At our Gender Matters workshops you will learn about the evolution of feminism, how gender roles took shape over time, and the impact of these conventions and expectations on our beliefs and behaviours.

There will be three workshops, all held at night at the AWARE Centre.

How Did We Get Here? – A History of FeminismBy Teo You Yenn, sociology professor at NTU
Date : 21 June (Monday)
Time : 7pm – 9pm

The Princess Ideology – Deconstructing the Fairy Tales

By Professor Sankaran Chitra from NUS
Date : 5 August (Thursday)
Time : 7pm – 9pm

What does Feminism mean to me?

Date : 26 August (Thursday)
Time : 7pm – 9pm

Cost per workshop:

Single : $15
Pair : $25

AWARE members who log in before purchasing will get a 40% discount. That’s just $9 per person or $15 for two persons!

Reserve Your Place: Signup Here

Truly a night to remember

Our Superwomen in Concert proved to be a glorious concoction of fun and friends, cheerful celebration and enormous goodwill. TANIA DE ROZARIO got the reactions of some members of the audience and performers.

Night to RememberAfter months of meticulous planning and gruelling rehearsals, Superwomen in Concert is over. And what a concert it was!

The Esplanade Concert Hall, filled to near capacity, rocked with an explosive line-up of performances that got people dancing, cheering and shouting for more.

The buzz continued at the post-concert party, where corporate and individual sponsors chatted as they feasted on sushi and champagne and posed for pictures with the performers.

Superwomen in Concert was AWARE’s main fund – and fun – raising event for the year, and on both counts it was superlative. Nearly $360,000 was raised, and as Executive Director Corinna Lim said, the event generated “goodwill that was priceless”.

Diana Tay, who attended the concert and the party, described the evening as “the best concoction of fun, friends and celebration ever!”

Volunteer and concert-goer Jacinta Joy agreed, saying: “It’s very impressive that AWARE put up such a huge concert! It’s a good sign of things to come in AWARE’s future.”

Audience members weren’t the only ones who enjoyed themselves. Belinda Foo, who performed with fellow sportsperson Grace Young in what was a great crowd-pleaser, said: “It was an awesome experience sharing the stage with all these wonder women; but the cherry and whipped cream topping has got to be playing and singing with my wonder girl daughter, Lauren!”

The men too had nothing but praise. Local writer Ng Yi-Sheng said amidst the fun of the concert he was moved by the slideshow of news clippings that chronicled AWARE’s achievements over the last 25 years, such as helping to bring an end to the medical school student quota on women and setting up the women’s helpline.

“That was what reminded me that, beyond the celebrations, real work has been and is being done,” he said.

Singer Rani Singam was still on a high a week after the show. She said: “The entire experience was awesome. It’s now days after the show and people are still talking about it with such excitement and pride!”

It was truly a night to remember.

Thank you all you Superwomen!!!

We’ve had phenomenal support for our Superwomen in Concert!

Thank you to everyone who came to the show, to performers, to sponsors and all the volunteers who made this event possible. The event exceeded EVERYONE’S expectations and was by far the most successful fund-raising event in AWARE’s history.

Dim Sum Dollies
THANK YOU!
[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157624248370998″]

We would love you to share your comments and thoughts about the evening.

Finding the person within

The incidence of eating disorders in Singapore is rising. To help prevent it from becoming more widespread, some trainee teachers have launched a campaign to promote awareness and understanding of the problem.

By Meiling Wong

Beware if you are a perfectionist!  You could fall prey to an eating disorder.

“Victims of eating disorders tend to be perfectionist,” says Dionne Chow, a member of HEART Connection, a group of trainee teachers who have launched a campaign to promote awareness and understanding of eating disorders.

The media industry is often blamed for popularising images of slimness and beauty but, says Ms Chow, there are many factors contributing to the disease. These include personality, self-esteem and social pressures.

It is the intrinsic need to be perfect that drives some people to the habitual behaviours that are detrimental to their health.

With eating disorders like bulimia, obesity, anorexia and binge eating, the victim often has a distorted perception about his or her body image and may become obsessive about attaining the “perfect” figure as they see this as a source of social acceptance.

Once a victim gets caught in the web of a eating disorder, it is often a downward spiral and a long and arduous road to recovery.

Kathryn Lee, another member of Heart Connection, says the doctor of a friend who is currently being treated for anorexia expects full recovery to take eight years.

The group of 20 student teachers, all from the National Institute of Education, aims to give the campaign a positive spin and advocates prevention rather than cure.

They have called the campaign ‘The Person Within’ because they want people to start “looking at the person as a whole, that is his/her personality, character, style and talent” instead of the physical, says Ms Lee.

“A lot of girls are facing body image issues, but there is no open discussion about it,” she adds. While the overall number of eating disorder sufferers is low, the incidence is rising and the problem could become widespread if nothing is done.

Eating disorders are not exclusive to women – many men also struggle with poor body image and eating disorders.

“The Person Within” campaign kicked off with a photography competition on 1 May. The competition is open to those aged between 13 and 35 years.  The winning entries will be announced at a road show at Tiong Bahru Plaza on 26 June.

The road show will include live performances and talks by survivors of eating disorders. For more information, go to The Person Within website.