Making Friends With The Neighbours

On Friday last week, I was on a panel about women’s surfing alongside Tyler Wright and Ashika Kanhai (and organised and hosted by Ece (AJ) Kaya and Leila Khanjaninejad from UTS Sydney). We were asked what has changed for better in women’s surfing and I said, surf media. I said, surf media overall has changed for the better so far as their treatment of women is concerned.  I pointed out that women are treated much better as surfers, writers, photographers, and editors, as possibly even as models in surf advertising imagery. I talked about the import allyship and mentoring by some men who have been powerful in surf media, and how a growing number of them have been real advocates and mentors to many women, creating space for these women - including me - to build experience to then build up other women in return. And I meant it! And then, tonight, I opened Instagram to see the announcement of the 10 finalists for the 2024 Surfing Australia, Surf Photo of the Year Award, supported by T...

I’ve been thinking a lot about International Women’s Day over the last week, mostly because I’m not participating in any events or actions or anything at all this year. I always know it is coming up (as I tell people who seem surprised it’s arrived, "it’s the same date every year") so I can only surmise that my apathy is intentional. By now, we know the critiques of IWD that emerge in Australia – that it is commercialised, corporatized, neoliberal, and focused on White women, middle class women, women with the most privilege – so my apathy isn't so hard to understand.  What has been surprising is that along with my apathy has come guilt.  I know that it’s not my personal responsibility to do something every year. Nor is there a need for my thoughts or ideas to be part of every IWD conversation or action. But I still feel guilty that I'm not participating in a formal way.  Recognising that this year I'm not organising or supporting events or actions, I’ve made time...