Feminist stories

October 21, 2018 by Ray Morgan

Last week I was invited to perform at a feminist storytelling night at Metal in Chalkwell Park, and I thought long and hard about what to read. 

Feminism is such a broad topic, where to start? I ended up reading a short story about a woman's struggle with not having purpose after the end of the Second World War, after not having a job anymore when the men returned home - I guess it was a story for women who were feminists before they even knew it. 

What I was stunned at on the night was the sheer diversity of content. There were poems, rants, stories, essays - fiction, non-fiction, nuanced, raw - all with the thread of feminism running through. Whether it was a story of a woman getting her own back on a vile misognyst (brilliantly reminiscent of Three Billboards), or tales of the sexism in the music industry for women in bands (think someone asking "Are you the singer?" as she drags her drum kit onto the stage), or a searing hot take on body expectations for young women ("Be slim, but not skinny-skinny, like curvy, but not fat") it was inspiring to be in the room with so many talented and passionate women. 

It stayed with me for the rest of the weekend. Gut-wrenching #MeToo stories. Real life examples of male casting agents doing exactly what the stereotype says. Positive celebrations of women, mothers, friends, the sisterhood. We pondered the Essex Girl stereotype. My wife Jo read an essay about not being allowed to join the school football team aged 9, and campaigning to not only be allowed to play with the boys, but for an all-girls team to be established too, something that is still going strong in her primary school almost thirty years later. All of this is feminism. 

It felt good to be in a room where we were all proud to call ourselves feminists - from 18 to retirement age and beyond. There were a handful of men in the room, which I loved. It's a conversation for everyone to have. And if we can encourage the next generation coming up to adulthood (who were in attendance, which cheered me), that gives me hope that little girls can grow up into young women who believe that anything is possible. I thought about my neighbour, who is in her 80s, and who I caught trying to haul a whole bag of compost into the front garden yesterday before I quickly intervened. She has a brilliant "I can do it for myself" attitude that I really admire. She often tells Jo and I (often over fish and chips, and wine) that she wallpapered her whole house herself. She is on her own, but not alone, social, fun, out in all weathers. Strong women amaze me.

The hosts from Old Trunk theatre rightly pointed out that where some of the performers gave real examples of their #MeToo struggle, it was likely that every woman in the audience have their own story to tell. That's the whole point of the movement, isn't it, to shed light on every grope, every time you've been followed home, every catcall, every offence, every abuse. It's all there in our lives, manifested in different ways. #MeToo is just a segment of feminism. The scope of it is immense. To hear stories from 18 year olds and onwards, tells us we need feminism to continue. 

The atmosphere at Chalkwell Hall on Friday night was electric. When it came to a close, I felt empowered, enraged, inspired and humbled. Amazing what a couple of hours in the company of local women writers can do. If that doesn't dismantle the Essex Girl stereotype, I don't know what will. 

If you love the sound of local cultural events but don't know where to start, follow these guys on Twitter to keep up to date to see what they're running and hosting: https://twitter.com/MetalSouthend

To read all of Ray's previous blogs please click here