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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The ‘Sad Girl Novel’ has officially reached market saturation. Privileged young female protagonists  are portrayed as unfulfilled by sex and their careers; they are deeply entrenched in their complicated thoughts and feelings, filled with self-loathing and self-absorbed.  

It’s as if they have stumbled upon some great insight that the rest of us fail to see, except perhaps the millions of us who buy these books. 

This All About Women panel, with authors and critics Jessie Tu, Madeleine Gray, Neha Kale and moderator Bridie Jabour, delved into the themes of ‘Sad Girl Novels’ and discussed why they resonated with audiences. 

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

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In days gone by, raising kids was considered a woman’s job, while men were the breadwinners. Fast forward to 2024, and women are now expected to work, but men are still only taking 12% of primary carer’s leave. 

A panel of dads, including Sean Szeps, Osher Günsberg and Amar Singh, joined Jamila Rizvi at All About Women in 2024, to discuss their commitment to equality in the household and encourage men to take on more responsibilities. 

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Our justice system is not functioning as it should. Over 90% of women in prison have faced domestic violence, sexual assault or abuse. One-third of women incarcerated have yet to be found guilty of a crime. First Nations women are disproportionately represented in incarcerated populations. Additionally, there's the issue of mothers and pregnant individuals behind bars. 

Eleni Psillakis, Ashlee Donohue, Frances Drake and Tabitha Lean joined moderator Kirsten Gray at All About Women to share their experiences and talk about the prospects for reform. 

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Booker Prize-winning author Anne Enright’s latest novel is The Wren, The Wren, a multigenerational story delving into the inheritance of trauma, the resilience of women and the power of love in its manifold forms. It contemplates the question: how do we live with betrayal and loneliness, yet still love those close to us?

Anne Enright joined us at All About Women this year to explore with author Madeleine Gray the reasons behind the choices she makes in her writing.

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Consumerist culture grows stronger every year, particularly with the expansion of marketing and influencers on social media, contributing to the rise in carbon emissions and inequality. 

At All About Women this year, fashion activist and writer Aja Barber demystified the structural inequality embedded in the global fashion industry and spoke with moderator Jan Fran about ways we can be good global citizens while still enjoying what fashion has to offer. 

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Content disclaimer: this podcast contains content that is explicit in nature.

For All About Women 2023, the Sydney Opera House partnered with Western Sydney-based literacy movement Sweatshop on an emerging writers mentorship program for women and non-binary First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse writers. 

The recipients worked on short fiction pieces, responding to Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement and those left behind as it evolved, under the guidance of Sweatshop judges and mentors Winnie Dunn and Sarah Ayoub.

Hear from 2023 winners Margretta Sowah and Uppma Virdi and highly commended writer Helen Nguyen, including readings of their stories.

This is the fifth and final episode of a five-part season which showcases recent events from the Sydney Opera House, and was recorded in studio June 2023.

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Capturing global attention through recipes so popular they became viral hashtags (#TheCookies, #ThePasta, #TheDip), Alison Roman wowed Sydney audiences in May 2023 in her quest for us all to ditch “domestic goddess” perfection and embrace a no-fuss, no-nonsense approach to cooking at home.

Roman spoke to fellow cook and Australian television presenter Adam Liaw about all the things that took her from early life as a pastry chef in California to the stage of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

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In a year when everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, we need to talk about the human kind. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be conscious of your existence, your thoughts, your dreams? As machines develop, what might be left that is uniquely human? Our pursuit of pleasure and its rewards? Our ability to love? 

AI expert Toby Walsh and evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks join journalist Rae Johnston to tackle the fundamental questions we should be asking amid the advent of super intelligent machines.

This is the second episode of a five-part season which showcases recent events from the Sydney Opera House, and was recorded live in October 2023.

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We kick off a new five-part season with a debate from our 50th Birthday Festival, discussing whether or not the Sydney Opera House would be built today. It's an iconic building that inspires imagination and sparks conversations, but do we still have what it takes to bring such a bold vision to fruition?

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