I Absolutely Agree. The Only Time We Have A Need For Plastic Surgeons Or Anything "cosmetic" Is When

I absolutely agree. The only time we have a need for plastic surgeons or anything "cosmetic" is when people need something reconstructed after a car accident or some other traumatic event. My mom had a coworker that got a "tummy tuck" after losing a bunch of weight and then proceeded to get sepsis and almost die. It is absolutely not worth the risk in the name of pointless beauty standards.

i am anti-cosmetic surgery as a whole at this point idc!! idc if that isn’t “progressive”!! “it’s a woman’s choice to get it <3” yes it’s every individual woman’s choice to have the same face and i’m sure it’s completely divorced from misogynistic, eurocentric, capitalistic beauty standards that will shift over time and make those women feel bad about themselves all over again

I would rather some people feel uncomfortable and embarrassed with other people's judgements about them having an age gap relationship than I would have one more girl or young woman go through being sexually groomed in their late teens/early 20s by a man ~7+ years older than her.

Say it louder for the people in the back

[the art is not mine! Template free on Canva, designed by National Studio; text from me]

Don't believe in sexist stereotypes.

As someone who loves clothing, whether thrifted, handmade, or store-bought, I will never, ever, purchase something from Shein or Temu. There is no way those clothes can be made ethically. Think about how long it takes to sew something. You could probably make a simple garment in a few hours if you know what you are doing. Multiple a livable wage (at the absolute very LEAST $15/hr if not more) by the number of hours it takes to make that garment and you will very quickly realize there is no ethical way to sell a dress for $20.

If you are buying new clothing, I would highly suggest checking out the Fashion Transparency Index from Fashion Revolution. Their website describes it at "a tool to push and incentivise the world’s largest fashion brands to be more transparent about their social and environmental efforts. Fashion Revolution believes that transparency is foundational to achieving systemic change in the global fashion industry, which is why we have been campaigning for it since 2014, and why we created this Index."

Their website and the yearly report are full of statistics about the fashion industry both as a whole and for specific brands, broken down by category.

I think more people on radblr should be talking about sweatshops, especially in the garment industry.

• Around 80% of sweatshop workers are women. Some employers force them to take birth control and pregnancy tests to avoid having to pay for maternity leave. Pregnant women are routinely denied sick leave to visit doctors, terminated from their contracts early, or left without any maternity leave when their short-term contracts are not renewed.

• Women are more likely than men to experience minimum wage violations. According to one study, "30 percent of the women workers in our sample experienced minimum wage violations, compared to 20 percent of the men". [Source: https://www.nelp.org/publication/broken-laws-unprotected-workers-violations-of-employment-and-labor-laws-in-americas-cities/ ]

• Indonesian women employees report that “girls in the factory are harassed by male managers. They come on to the girls, call them into their offices, whisper into their ears, touch them, bribe them with money and threaten them with firing if they don’t have sex with them.” [source: cleanclothes.org]

• "Toilet breaks are monitored, and some workers said they were flat out denied them, even when sick. The same goes for water and lunch breaks, both necessary to stay healthy when working 12+ hour days in a stuffy, overcrowded factory." 20% of women in sweatshops report experiencing sexual violence. [https://iwda.org.au/three-ways-garment-factories-violate-the-rights-of-women-and-how-its-allowed-to-happen/ ]

It's easy not to support this kind of abuse. Do not buy clothes first-hand. Only buy from thrift shops and second-hand apps, or find ethical brands and investigate where and how they make their clothing (hint: if a t-shirt costs $3, it's not ethical). Patch your old clothes. Consider learning basic sewing (it's not as difficult as it seems!)

I don't care how cheap Shein and Temu are. I don't care how much you think you need that specific Zara coat. Buying clothes directly harms women and avoiding it is a very easy way to help.

You know those yard signs that are like "In this house we believe: climate change is science, no humans are illegal, gay rights are human rights" etc. and they basically just sum up the American liberal belief in one easy-to-read sign? I want one of those for radfem beliefs that just sums our talking points up. I'm thinking something along the lines of "In this house we know that:

-lgb rights are human rights

-feminism exists for the liberation of women

-abortion and contraception are healthcare

-hormone replacement and plastic surgery for the purpose of gender transition are NOT healthcare

-Pornography fuels the sex trafficking industry and both industries exploit women endlessly for male pleasure

Anyone else have additions?