The School of Visibility | Empowering women to be seen and heard

The Visibility Compendium, September 2019

Here at the School of Visibility we spoke up about a few challenging topics throughout September. We pushed back against an unquestioned assumption in the entrepreneurial space, we covered the topic of abortion, and we tracked women’s economic empowerment over the 20th and 21st centuries.
We also spent some time talking about how to spot your visibility blocks and about the amazing Netflix series ‘Unbelievable’. So pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea, and check it out all below!

FROM THE BLOG

#girlboss is not empowering
[Topics: women’s empowerment | women speaking up | patriarchal conditioning]
‘Calling yourself ‘girl’ when you’re a woman is a nod to the long time infantilisation of women. It’s a tool that’s been used by the patriarchy to keep women submissive.

It sounds empowering because the word ‘boss’ is in it. But when it’s coupled with ‘girl’, it signals a discomfort with power.

… [Read More...]

A short history of women’s economic empowerment

Economic empowerment has always been high on the feminist agenda. In capitalist societies, economic power ensures you have a greater voice and more political influence than you otherwise would. When you’re economically secure, you’re able to provide a secure, safe environment for yourself and your family, you can take up educational opportunities you might not otherwise have access to, and you can enjoy greater levels of ease as you pursue your creative dreams.

One of the reasons I love supporting female entrepreneurs is because building a business is a feminist act. It’s the next frontier of women’s economic empowerment and we are thrilled to see so many women taking up the opportunity to take hold of their economic future.

Below is a short (and in no way exhaustive) timeline of women’s economic empowerment in Australia, the UK, and the US.

Aus, 1902: Women* are granted the right to … [Read More...]

How to spot your visibility blocks

The most common hurdle to overcoming visibility blocks is actually seeing them. They’re so embedded in the way we think, the way we act, the way we respond to people, that they don’t seem like blocks at all.

They seem like ‘Just the way life is’.

So in the interests of not being bogged down by visibility blocks for the rest of time, here’s a useful tip for spotting a block; What behaviour really annoys you?

Perhaps it’s sales funnels – you just can’t stand people selling to you or hosting webinars where they sell something at the end or mention the product they have for sale in a live video.

Rather than raging against the machine, here’s a question to ponder; How comfortable am I with selling my service/product/program?

A fear of being judged when you ask for the sale is a huge visibility block that impacts significantly on … [Read More...]

Get your hands off my womb

I am on the bus. On my way home.

I’m bleeding and I’m a criminal.

I’ve had an abortion.

It wasn’t because I was raped. Would it be better if I was?

Even then there are some that would say I still had no right to choose for myself. I was with someone who no longer loved me. In fact loved me so little I had to catch the bus back. It wasn’t meant to happen, I was on the pill. I had no money. No support. I was young. I was scared. I was alone. I really didn’t know what to do.

But what I did know was the pain of growing up in an ugly broken home and how many nights I had laid awake, alone with my suffering, contemplating my own suicide.

I would not wish that upon anyone. And I definitely wouldn’t choose it. Certainly not … [Read More...]

#girlboss is not empowering

The women’s empowerment space is an interesting space. On the one hand it attempts to boost women’s confidence and claims to be about women standing in their power.

On the other, there’s so much unacknowledged patriarchal conditioning there that it actually serves to entrench inequality and disempowerment just as often as it attempts to liberate women from it.

#girlboss is a prime example.

#girlboss is not empowering for women.

For girls? Absolutely.

But you’re not a girl. You’re a woman. Which means if you’re going to hashtag yourself, and feel the need to include a gender marker in order to connect with other women, let’s at least go with #womanboss.

Calling yourself ‘girl’ when you’re a woman is a nod to the long time infantilisation of women. It’s a tool that’s been used by the patriarchy to keep women submissive.

It sounds empowering because the word ‘boss’ is in it. … [Read More...]