Ideas at the House

For a long time, the word 'influencer' conjured stereotypes of activewear and dubious hot takes. But it's 2024 and social media has well-and-truly revolutionised the public square. Today, the word influencer can refer to an activist or academic who shares short videos on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram to explain complex concepts on niche subjects for a global audience. 

From Substack to Twitter threads, podcasting to Patreon, there are many opportunities to monetise knowledge-sharing. What does it mean for women to be able to build audiences free from traditional gatekeepers? Or are the gatekeepers now just the shady algorithms of BigTech bros? This All About Women panel of influencers including: Hannah Ferguson, Mary Mcgillivray, Sisonke Msimang and moderator Bri Lee features a lively and entertaining debate unpacking the implications of the new gatekeepers. 

This event was recorded at All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pop culture has embraced a surge of complex female anti-heroes, from con-women to avengers, challenging traditional narratives of female perfection with their flaws and moral ambiguity. However, this trend predominantly features white women, leaving Women of Colour marginalized as exceptions rather than the rule.  

Featuring an all-star First Nations panel, Steph Tisdell, Barkaa and moderator Rudi Bremer, this panel sheds light on the burden of representation and the narrow pathways for Women of Colour to navigate between societal expectations of excellence and the right to embrace imperfection.  

This event was recorded at All About Women festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Anna Funder turned to her literary hero, George Orwell, for inspiration, she discovered not just that Eileen O’Shaughnessy, his first wife's, contribution had been ignored by his biographers but that Orwell himself had blatantly downplayed both her work and her contribution. 

In her book Wifedom, Funder forensically proves Orwell’s deliberate erasure of his wife and not only puts O’Shaughnessy back in the story, but in the process comes face to face with the doublethink of patriarchy and how it continues to shape women’s lives today. Funder is joined by Jemma Birrell for this conversation, as she unpacks Orwell's double-edged legacy and her latest masterpiece.  

This event was recorded at All About Women festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an era where porn is omnipresent and often celebrated as a symbol of empowerment and personal freedom, Chanel Contos argues that it also perpetuates harmful norms of objectification and violence. 

Contos is the creator of the Teach Us Consent movement and author of Consent Laid Bare. In this discussion with Jess Hill she interrogates how the porn industry infiltrates real-life sexual dynamics and expectations. 

This podcast includes discussion about violence and other sensitive issues. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800 RESPECT, a free helpline which supports people impacted by domestic, family 

This event was recorded at All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, Sydney audiences heard directly from Cambridge Professor Emerita Dame Mary Beard in an event that delved into the broad range of her career - from the ruins of ancient Rome to the trenches of Twitter. 

Dame Mary joins Bri Lee in a broad reaching discussion about how power is skewed along gender lines, her latest book, Emperor of Rome, which gives a nuanced understanding of sex, class, race, and politics in the ancient world, and whose astute observations of modern political power have shone a light on the remarkably persistent patterns of patriarchy today. 

This event was recorded at All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hot on the heels of her satirical literary sensation Yellowface crushing the bestseller lists, American author Rebecca F. Kuang was joined by Nakkiah Lui for a conversation exploring the complexities of diversity, racism and cultural appropriation today – both through her own eyes and those of her book’s protagonist Juniper Hayward. 

This event was recorded at All About Women festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the ultimate roast session at All About Women, but this time, the target wasn't a person—it was feminism itself! From suffrage struggles to the #MeToo movement, no aspect of feminist history or ideology was safe from the scathing wit of our roasters. A sizzling interrogation of gender and power, this special event was filled with laughs, irreverence, and insights that might make you look at things differently. 

Host Steph Tisdell marshalled six of the wittiest voices in comedy and writing -Michelle Law, Jane Caro, Jan Fran, Zoe Coombs Marr and Nakkiah Lui- to take aim at feminism, from its earliest roots to its modern-day iterations. 

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For All About Women in 2024, audiences embarked on a journey through the complex landscape of the human body, where strength meets vulnerability, pleasure intertwines with pain, and empowerment dances with trauma. This captivating conversation explored the political battleground that our bodies often become and tackled the societal challenges deeply rooted in our physical forms.  

The distinguished panel included Grace Tame, Tanya Hosch, Madison Griffiths and Tara Rae Moss, alongside moderator Jamila Rizvi.  

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Motherhood is known as one of life’s greatest joys but the complexities that come with raising a child solo while battling systemic barriers such as ableism and racism can turn it into an uphill battle.  

Malyangapa, Barkindji artist Barkaa and feminist writer Karen Pickering were joined by moderator Edwina Throsby for a moving and thought-provoking discussion at All About Women, where they unravelled the challenges society throws at mothers.

This podcast includes discussion about violence and other sensitive issues. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800 RESPECT, a free helpline which supports people impacted by domestic, family or sexual violence. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not hard to get caught in the contradictions of the beauty industry. We're told to embrace natural looks, yet we are bombarded with countless products promising to conceal or enhance our features. Additionally, no sooner than we express a desire to champion entrepreneurial women, we turn on them with criticism that outstrips anything said about a male exec. 

Fashion, beauty, and wellness journalist Marisa Meltzer spoke to moderator Bridie Jabour at All About Women 2024, exploring the impact of social media-driven hyper consumerism on the beauty industry - and us. 

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