Mona Eltahawy: The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls
If women and girls want to dismantle the system, they will need to embrace the qualities they have been trained to avoid: anger, ambition, profanity, violence, seeking attention, lust and power. Bold and brilliant feminist Mona Eltahawy looks around the world to show us how women everywhere can reclaim these ‘essential sins’ and use them to fight patriarchy.
This event is chaired by Clementine Ford.
I want patriarchy to know that feminism is rage unleashed against its centuries of crimes against women and girls around the world, crimes that are justified by ‘culture’ and ‘tradition’ and ‘it’s just the way things are’ all of which are euphemisms for ‘this world is run by men for the benefit of men’.
Selfishness in women isn't the great crime that people like to pretend it is. We are as entitled as men to prioritise ourselves and our desires, and we are as capable as men of knowing what's best for us. Why is everyone so pathologically terrified of selfish women?.
We must declare a feminism that is robust, aggressive and unapologetic. It is the only way to combat a patriarchy that is systemic.
The importance and visibility of women's collective anger can't be overstated. This anger takes determination, thoughtfulness, and work. It means respecting our own anger and being willing to respect the anger of other women.
Presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and Carriageworks.
This session is supported by The Wheeler Centre.
Tickets
Standard – $29 + booking fee
UNSW Student & Under 18s – $23 + booking fee
Passes
$49 – $124 + booking fee
For the most UNTHINKABLE experience, purchase a pass and save! Choose between an Ultimate Pass, Friday Double Pass, Saturday Double Pass or Saturday Triple Pass.
Carriageworks has a wheelchair ramp and level access at all entrances. There is level access and accessible seating available in all venues along with multiple accessible toilets. Accessible parking is available at the end of Carriageworks Way. Enter via 229 Wilson Street. The closest train station with wheelchair access is Newtown Station.
Auslan & Captioning
The Centre for Ideas can provide Auslan and captioning services for selected talks upon request.
Companion Card
The Centre for Ideas supports the Companion Card program. For patrons who require assistance of a companion or carer, a second ticket is issued at no cost to the Companion Card holder.
Contact
To discuss your access requirements and to book selected access services, please call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9385 9844 or email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au.
The Centre for Ideas is happy to receive phone calls via the National Relay Service. TTY users, phone 133 677, then ask for 02 9385 9844. Speak and Listen users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 9385 9844. Internet relay users, visit relayservice.gov.au, then ask for 02 9385 9844.
Mona Eltahawy
Mona Eltahawy is a feminist author, commentator, and disruptor of patriarchy. She is founder and editor-in-chief of the newsletter FEMINIST GIANT. Her opinion essays have appeared in media across the world. Her first book Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution (2015) targeted patriarchy in the Middle East and North Africa and her second The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls (2019) took that disruption worldwide. She is a contributor to the recent anthology This Arab is Queer and is editing the anthology Bloody Hell! And Other Stories: Adventures in Menopause from Across the Personal and Political Spectrums.
Clementine Ford
Clementine Ford is a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker based in Melbourne. She is the bestselling author of the feminist manifesto Fight Like A Girl.
