JJ Barnes writes about parenting, feminism, current affairs and writing
It’s a disturbing fact that our society sexualises teenage girls to the point of valuing little else about them. I remember when I became a teenager and suddenly fell onto a radar for men to ogle, shout at, and pester to the point of being dangerous. I remember realising my growing body suddenly had value for it’s sexuality. I also
As gender-neutral, mixed sex, facilities that are considered to be “safe spaces” become the new trend, the women who fight against it are being gas lit continually. We are told that fears these open rules will allow men to violate women’s privacy and put women in physical danger are crazy, and that it’ll never happen. It’ll never happen. I wrote
My little patchwork family is made up of myself and my partner, my daughter from my first marriage, his son from his first marriage, and our tyrannical toddler who came along 9 months after my 30th birthday… We’ve been a family for five years now. I’ve looked after my step-son for at least part of nearly every single day since
Watching women do the lion’s share of the parenting is unremarkable. In heterosexual relationships, the mother is more likely to have the most active role in child rearing, and in the UK it’s estimated that one in four children are being raised in single parent households, with 90% of those headed by women (BBC). I firmly believe in the power
I consider myself to be a feminist. I recognise the sex based oppression that women and girls have suffered internationally for generations. FGM, child marriages, forced pregnancy, rape rates, sex trafficking. Being born female can be a death sentence, it can be a life sentence for pain and abuse, and I want to work to support the women around me
Some people are natural parents. People who give off an aura that says they’re good with children, even if they’re alone or don’t have kids. My best friends are natural mothers. They’re amazing with their own children, and brilliant with other people’s too. They’re so natural with children they have opted to work with them as well as to raise
We live in the most progressive and accepting era of our times. Our rights to love and speak and feel our truths are protected. We celebrate diversity in identity, in sexuality and in opinion. Except you. You’re a bigot. Whilst we live in a free time, we seem to be protecting one area of our freedoms by sacrificing others without
If you’re unfamiliar with the Jessica Yaniv case, I’ll give you a brief history. But if you want to find out more it’ll be pretty easy, Yaniv and her testicles are all across the internet. Jessica Yaniv wanted to get her body hair waxed, including a full Brazilian, and for Yaniv that means all around the penis and balls. Yaniv
I’m a writer by profession. I write novels, scripts and blogs, and it’s how I make a living. To make a living, people need to know I exist or they won’t read, buy or invest in any of the work I do. And to let people know I exist, I depend heavily on a social media presence. Through Facebook, Twitter
I’ve always considered myself a lefty liberal. I have gone through life hating judgmental people and embracing the move towards a progressive and accepting society. We should all be free to be true to ourselves, to love who we love, and accept everyone for their truth. And I do feel we should be proud of what we’ve achieved. I still