Katie Hopkins may just be a force for good...

Don't you hate her, don't you just LOATH her...

Every time you see that smug, self-serving shiny face on an article. You KNOW it's going to be provocative, you know that she's said something simply awful. You're prepared to be shocked and appalled even before you click the link...

And of course you DO click the link, which is why the tabloids give her columns in the first place; which is why even left-wing rags like The Guardian and The Independents love her too, because they can write a weekly article that boils down to the same premise "isn't Katie Hopkins vile" and people will click on it. Like the cartoon villain in the Pantomime, we just love to hate Katie Hopkins. 

So I had no qualms what-so-ever of signing the petition that's doing the rounds this week calling for her dismissal. Click. Done. Katie Hopkins = bad, change petitions = good (how many Change petitions to I sign without really thinking about them? Too many I would hazard to guess.

But I have had a little rethink about this one and I may have had a change of heart.  I don't think she should be sacked. And here is why:

Katie Hopkins may be a pro-troll of the highest ranks, ultimately maybe serving as a force for good. Let's be honest, must of us only ever engage in topics about the atrocities of the world and form proper opinions about them as polemics to this vile hag. Most people wouldn't even have given a second thought about the plight of refugees drowning if she hadn't said what she said. Her comments in the last couple of weeks got people talking about depression, dementia etc in response to her horrendous Tweets about depression not existing. Those left-wing articles using her as click bait? Go read the comments section, debates about the topics she is highlighting with her heartless views are compelling and engaging, and include a section of people who probably didn't click on the actual news story about the refugees.

It is so easy to gloss over the news. We don't get nearly angry enough at the world for hurting, killing and oppressing people, not enough to do anything. But we engage with the topic more when a figurehead demonstrates perfectly how we SHOULDN'T be feeling, and I think, actually, that has a positive effect by bringing these topics into the British public consciousness.

It is hard to stomach the fact that she is making money out of these vile opinions, but she feeds on negative press, but sacking her will not stop her. She will find another way, another platform and another way of spreading muck and making money (she is a business woman remember). Sacking her would only give more fuel to her fire and be handing those who worry about freedom of speech more material.

If she keeps her job she could continue to spew bile on the most provocative of human stories. We would continue to click on those most unflattering photos of her just to see what's she's said, and we would continue be shocked! But to challenge her we would have to continue to think about our own position and in doing that realise that we are not angry enough, we do not do enough, we do not care enough, and so we care more. At the end of the day it will piss Katie Hopkins off more if through her hate speech she actually creates a more caring society.

Summer is here! And you know what that means ladies...

Ah summer...

Finally time to cast of the shackles of wool, thermals and Gortex (and in my case an inordinate amount of fake fur), get the pasty pins out, and find the biggest sunnies you can find to hide the pub-garden hangover eyes. For a few weeks anyway, this is Britain after all.

Unfortunately this is also the season when to be a woman also means putting up with a hell of a lot more street harassment. Although a year round problem, there's something about the sunshine that seems to make it all the more prevalent. Having the audacity to bare a little more sweaty, burned or goose-pimpled flesh in the hope of topping up Vitamin D supplies is traded off with more unwanted attention.

Street harassment comes in all shapes and sizes, and some of it may seem harmless enough and be delivered with only the best intentions. Some of it less so. Ranging from whistles and teeth-kissing to down-right scary or offensive remarks, one thing that is universal, is how annoying it can be. If it was the odd polite compliment here and there, it would probably be tolerable, but during the summer months it can be a virtual trial to navigate the streets without harnessing the opinion of some male or another. At best it's annoying, at worst it can make women feel vulnerable and threatened.

Only yesterday after sitting and having lunch with a friend in the park I was walking home when a man who I'd never met before came up to me, put his hand on my arm and said "Ooh you've caught the sun!". Harmless enough you may think; but firstly, NO, you may not touch me, random man... and secondly, can you imagine what would happen if he'd done that to another man? I'm sure the redness of his punched face could only match the redness of the sunburn. It made me feel pretty angry, and I didn't want to feel angry, it was a lovely sunny day.

This is the thing though, because street harassment comes in so many forms and not all women are bothered by it - yes, sometimes can even be flattered by it, and will have possibly learned to tune it out over the years and ignore it; it has never been tackled properly as an issue. There is also the factor that it rarely happens if a girl is walking with a male friend, so it is hard for men to understand the scale of it - especially if they are the sort of man who wouldn't harass women themselves - because they don't often witness it.

So this is what I propose. I would like to do a project about street harassment in all its forms, to gain opinion from people who experience it. For the month of July all I want is for women to document the harassment they get. Harassment, in this instance, being defined as:

• Any comment or vocal call from someone who you don't know that serves no specific purpose (such as being asked the time or directions) other than to get your attention.
• Unwanted physical contact or invasion of your personal space that isn't unavoidable, such as being followed, having someone press up against you, being touched without permission etc.
• Sexist remarks from people you may or may not know, that you feel wouldn't be directed at someone of a different gender: for example - being told to smile, comments on clothing etc
• Direct violence, or a threat of violence to your person.

For one month I would like at least 20 volunteers to fill out a diary, comprised of a logging sheet I will provide, documenting their experience of street harassment and I really need your help. I will then use the data to try and get a proper discussion started about street harassment and what can be done to tackle the problem.

I will also provide a short questionnaire where you can provide your views about street harassment in general. If you like you can just do the questionnaire. Although women tend to get more attention in summer, I am deliberately NOT going to be asking "what were you wearing" as part of the log, as I feel this is detrimental to the issue. You can face harassment whatever you are wearing and I want to make it clear that I am not "slut shaming" or victim blaming.

Although this is a problem mainly faced by women (cis and trans), the project is open to volunteers of ALL gender and gender expression. The project is open to people of all sexualities, all ethnic backgrounds and ages. This is not a paid position, you can withdraw from the project at anytime, and although your data may be used publicly, your name and details will always be kept confidential.

If you would like to be involved, or learn more, please email me your contact details at idloveababycham@hotmail.com putting the subject matter STREET HARASSMENT JULY. I will accept all volunteers, and June 30th 2013 is the deadline for getting involved. 

I cannot do this without people getting involved. Hopefully you will find it interesting, and I can go on to do some good with the findings.

Please pass this blog post on to as many people as you can as I would like to get a wide selection of people involved and from many different age ranges. If you think anything in particular should be addressed in the project, or you think I have missed anything out or misrepresented anything in my proposal please email me or comment below.

Many thanks!

Pip xxx

Women's History Month 2013 - Day 19

Being a proud, life-long 'Bristolite' (I fear I lack the birth right or accent of a true 'Bristolian') I love my city fiercely and love turning up new local heroes. Outsiders to the city may know of Banksy, Wallace and Gromit and maybe the Wurzels, but did you know that the first ever, registered female doctor and first women to ever graduate from medical school, was also born here? That beats Justin Lee Collins and the bloke who played Darth Vader hands down.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910)

Not only did Elizabeth Blackwell have the good fortune to be born in Georgian Bristol, she also had the additional fortune of a very large, loving, and for the time, liberal family. Her father Samuel, a sugar refiner, believed strongly in education for his nine children, encouraging them to follow dreams and nurture talents. This meant that Elizabeth, with her promising intellect, was cultivated with governesses and tutors as well as the support of her father.

But Bristol has always been beset by social unrest, and then was no different to now, with an unstable economy and riots brewing in the streets. Samuel Blackwell decided to move his whole family to the more flourishing America when Elizabeth was 11. Here the family continued their liberal ways, becoming committed abolitionists and champions of social reform. However, Samuel died only five years later, leaving behind debts and no business to speak of after his refinery burnt down.

Being proactive, Elizabeth and her older sisters opened a school to help the family out of their financial woes. Elizabeth taught in the school and once it became established she also started taking on private pupils. The school closed in 1842 as so she began to work more on other pursuits, such as becoming involved in political campaigns, writing about women’s rights, studying the arts and working to highlight the horrors of slavery.

When Elizabeth was 24 she got the inspiration to study medicine. Her friend was dying of a gynaecological cancer, and stressed that what made her situation all the worse was being treated by a ‘rough’ male medic. She urged her intelligent friend to train to be a doctor. The ideal appealed to Elizabeth, intellectually, and also because she believed she could use her compassion to help others, especially women. She also liked the idea of having a career that would help her live independently, without having to marry. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Elizabeth went about finding ways to fulfill her new ambition, even though no woman had trained in the field before.

Her first obstacle was money. She would need to raise $3,000 in order to pay for medical school tuition. She embarked on a series of teaching jobs while all the time independently teaching herself all she could from medical books and journals. She moved to Philadelphia in search of more opportunity. Here she took private anatomy lessons and tried to apply to medical schools, but was met with rejection everywhere. Her tutors suggested trying abroad, and even disguising herself as a man to get a foot in the door!

In 1947 she was finally accepted to Geneva Medical College in upstate New York, though her entry was just a jeering social experiment on the part of the college. It was not an easy time for Elizabeth; she was treated as an oddity, and met resistance throughout her studies. She had to fight to be allowed to attend the reproductive anatomy class for the tutor thought it might warp her ‘delicate female mind’, and the male students did everything they could to make her leave. Elizabeth kept her head down and pushed on through, rejecting taunts and scorn as well as suitors and male advances, instead completing most of her studies in isolation. She made it through and graduated in 1849, the first women in the United States to ever gain a medical degree.

It wasn’t easy getting work, even voluntary, and many male doctors refused to work alongside her and so she headed back to England, and then on to Paris, where after much more discrimination for her gender, she finally got to train to be an obstetrician. Elizabeth headed back to New York, finally fulfilling her dream of having her own private practice, and then clinic.

The New York Dispensary for Poor Women and Children was opened in 1853, and then the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children in 1857. That same year, she became the first woman listed on the British Medical Register during a time when she was lecturing there.

In the late 1860s, Elizabeth also opened a medical school for women in New York – The Women’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary. Here Elizabeth put a focus on the importance of hygiene in the curriculum, something she had observed the importance of over her years of practice.

Elizabeth settled back in England for the remainder of her career. She set up a private practice in London and served as a lecturer at the London School of Medicine for Women. She finally retired in 1877, but continued to stay active, writing books and travelling, until a fall left her severely disabled at the age of 86. She died three years later in 1910. Her legacy was a doorway that let many women enter the medical profession as well as being an inspiration to those that did. Elizabeth, you did Bristol proud.

Women's History Month 2013 - Day 18

Now girls and boys, I hope you’re sitting comfortably, because today I am going to tell you a story… Yes, today I am going to tell you about a woman whose life read a bit like a fairytale. Sometimes referenced as ‘the Celestial Cinderella’ this woman had a lowly start in life but ended up shining amongst the stars. 

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848)

Once upon a time (1750 to be precise)… in a land far, far away (Hanover in Germany) a girl was born to a musician and his wife. As one of ten children, and a girl, Caroline Herschel didn’t get a lot of status in her family. To make matters worse when she was three she contracted smallpox, which left her scarred and blind in one eye and then when she was ten she was struck down with typhus, which stopped her growth, leaving her only 4ft 3in in height. Because Caroline had these physical differences from other girls, her parents assumed that no man would want to marry her, and instead planned to put her to work as a maid, thinking she could not amount to much more.

Not everyone in Caroline’s family was so unkind though. Caroline had an older brother called William, who was a very successful and charismatic chap. He had been a musician like their father and then served his time in the military. After his service he moved to Bath in England to pursue his interest in astronomy. On a trip back to the family home in 1772 after the death of his father, he found Caroline banished to working in the family’s kitchen. Enraged at the treatment of his beloved little sister, he decided to rescue her from her place of servitude and take her back to Bath with him, where she would be treated as an equal and not as a servant.

Back in Bath, William taught Caroline (or his dear “Lina” as he oft called her) singing, and shared with her his passion for astronomy. Caroline quickly showed great talent and aptitude for the subject and great skill at working the telescope and handling the equipment, although poor Caroline was injured once more, when she got impaled on a large hook when making observations! With time Caroline learned to record, reduce, and organise her brother’s astronomical observations. William was so impressed with his sister’s work he insisted that she start making observations on her own.

By the 1790s Caroline had discovered several comets, a few of which were named after her, becoming the first woman ever to do this. Bored with the idea of society, and not feeling fulfilled by her musical hobby, Caroline wanted to become a recognised, professional astronomer like her big brother. After much patience – and after discovering eight comets – King George III finally granted Caroline an annual salary of £50 for her work as William's assistant.

Other astronomers had been mapping the sky before William and Caroline, but their joint observations revealed many inconsistencies in other published catalogues. William realised that a proper cross-index was needed in order to properly explore the stars but didn’t want to do it himself as it would take too much time – time he would rather spend on making more observations. So he entrusted the whopping task to little Lina. The resulting Catalogue of Stars was published by the Royal Society in 1798, and included a list of more than 560 stars that William and Caroline had been the first to observe.

William died in 1822, and Caroline decided to move back to Germany, but although devastated at the loss of her brother, she did not abandon her work. Se continued alongside her nephew John Herschel, discovering and cataloguing newlt discovered nebulae. In 1835 she was one of the first women to be given honorary membership of the Royal Astronomical Society. On her 96th birthday, Caroline was awarded the King of Prussia's Gold Medal of Science for her life long achievements. Since her death in 1848 she has had stars, an asteroid and even a crater on the moon named after her. She has continued to inspire astronomers, and is proof that even physical impairments don’t have to stand in the way of following a dream. Now that is a ‘happily ever after’.

Women's History Month 2013 - Day 17

There are several things that attracted me to today’s dame du jour; the least of which is that she was a talented mathematician and physicist, author and translator of important scientific works. Attributes that have made her an even more favourable candidate for my compendium are that she belonged to the lower ranks of the French Aristocracy in the early 18th Century (I am a complete Francophile and sucker for heroines in corsets), she defied the conventions of her sex with her thirst for education and academia, and she was a bit of a rebel. She was also scandalously passionate, and had a love affair with philosopher and writer Voltaire, who frankly, is also my 18th Century crush. She was the early definition of a feminist, promoting education and happiness for women, while following her own path with determination. Hers is a torrid tale of sex and science and should be shared.

Émilie du Châtelet (1706-1749)

Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet was born in Paris in 1706. The society in which she was born was one of polite repression for women; they were to be good courtiers, wives and ladies, accomplished in music and dancing and that's about it. Emilie, however, was fiercely intelligent and the only daughter in a family of six. Emilie’s father held an interest in science and mathematics and exposed his eager daughter to these subjects, along with languages, fencing and riding. Aware of her keen mind, he encouraged her talents and brought tutors and academics to the house for her to study with. At aged ten she was discussing the finer points of astronomy with esteemed writer Fontanelle. She excelled in her studies, especially in languages, but mathematics remained her first love.

Despite her progressive education, Emilie couldn't completely escape the conventions of the day. Although being of a ‘passionate nature’ with no lack of romantic attachments in her youth, she was still formally married at the age of 18, within the French court, to the Marquis Florent-Claude du Chastellet-Lomont, who was twelve years her senior. Emile thrived at court; she enjoyed dancing, acting and playing music, and thanks to her mathematical talents she was quite the keen, and successful, gambler!

After leaving court to marry and have three children (also suffering the death of her youngest son when he was an infant), aged 26 Emilie returned to court, and resumed her studies in mathematics, tutoring under some of the finest academics of the day. Her husband spent most of his time on garrison duties, which meant that he spent long periods away from his wife, but Emilie was never in want of entertainment or company.

Emilie had met Voltaire as a teenager and from their early friendship it was clear they were kindred spirits. Although they met through Emilie’s father’s academic connections when she was still young, their friendship became cemented once Emilie returned to society. This was a meeting of minds, of hearts, and it has to said, loins. The Marquis, had an understanding attitude to his wife’s attachments (Voltaire was by no means her only lover since her marriage); in fact, evidence shows that the three had a good friendship – how very modern!

Voltaire resided at the couple’s country home while in exile, where he added a library and collection of scientific instruments. His love for Emilie ran deeper than lust; he loved and admired her mind and enthusiasm for life. He wrote of her: ‘I found in 1733 a young lady who felt more or less as I did, and who resolved to spend several years in the country to cultivate her mind, far from the tumult of the world. It was the marquise Du Châtelet, the woman who in all France had the greatest disposition for all the sciences. ... Seldom has so fine a mind and so much taste been united with so much ardour for learning; but she also loved the world and all the amusements of her age and sex.’ – Oh Voltaire, sigh.

Emilie was keen to apply all her years of study and Voltaire encouraged her; she jointly worked on a translation of Newton’s theories with him, wrote a book on physics Institutions de Physique in 1740, and in 1744 a paper entitled Dissertation sur la nature et la propagation du feu, based upon her research into the science of fire and light. She was in regular discussion with famous mathematicians of the day, including Maupertuis and Clairaut – another one of her lovers – and through her translation of Mandeville's The fable of the bees, she wrote a preface of her own ideas of morality, arguing strongly for the importance of educating women.

Emilie took another lover in 1748, the poet Jean-Francois de Saint-Lambert, and quickly fell pregnant. This did not dim Voltaire’s love for her and their friendship continued, he even helped her keep peace with her husband over this indiscretion. She worked on her writing throughout her pregnancy, sacrificing only her social life at court to make room for her work. She gave birth to a daughter in 1749, going into labour while still at her writing desk. Alas, the work was to be her last, a few weeks later, her baby daughter died, and Emilie followed a few days later, apparently from an pulmonary embolism, she was only 43.

For such a short life, Emilie achieved so much, living her life to the fullest, especially for someone of her sex at that time – shunning convention and embracing knowledge, academia, friendship and love with all she had, and the inspiration of that is a legacy in itself. But more than that she is considered to be one of the most influential mathematicians of her time, her influence shaping the subject into what is know today, and shaping the hearts of her peers, especially Voltaire… a true libertine bluestocking if ever there was one!

Women's History Month 2013 - Day 16

I want to showcase another one of my current heroes of science today. I first came across her when I saw her TED talk on her experiences of having a stroke. She has inspired me in my own love of pyschology and neuroscience and through reading her work I have gained a better understanding of how the brain works and how we interact with the world around us. Dr Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, with a particular interest in the pathology of brains in connection with schizophrenia and the severe mental illnesses. In 1996, she, herself, suffered a massive stroke and spent the next eight years recovering from it, and since then has been a spokesperson and speaker on neurological recovery.

Dr Jill Bolte Taylor (born 1959)

Dr Taylor has meant so much to me as I discovered her at a time when I’d seen my own father suffer from strokes and dementia, and she helped give me a great insight into what may be happing inside his mind. She has also helped me consolidate some of my own wonderings about the workings of our minds and how we connect to the world, to life and to death.

Rather than do my usual biography, I wrote to Dr Taylor and asked her some questions about her experiences of being a women in science in honour of Women’s History Month, and lo and behond if she didn’t reply! So I would add in that not only is she a brilliant scientist, speaker and inspiration to many, she is also a super nice lady! As I discovered Dr Taylor’s work through her TED talk (my favourite TED talk of all time) please do watch it if you can, and you’ll see why I am so inspired by her.

When you were growing up, who were the women who inspired you? Did you have any role models?

I had two powerful female role models when I was young, my mother who was a superwoman – a mother of three, wife of a clergyman with a 300 family congregation; and math professor at the local university. There was also my 'adopted mother' ,who lived right across the street who stimulated my interest in biology and animal dissection.



Did you encounter much sexism or discrimination in your chosen academic career of neuroanatomy? And if so, how did you overcome this?

Yes, but I didn't let it get in my way. It was clear to me that to be a successful woman in science it was necessary to be more competitive than my male counterparts. And even if that didn't pay off, I could have made an issue of it, gotten my nose out of joint about it or just put in my effort, serve my time, jump through the hoops and move on. I chose to not throw bad energy and feed negative causes.



What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Having a stroke, recovering from it, writing a book about it that went to the NY Times bestseller list and ultimately buying my freedom from any academic institution so I can now pick and choose what I want to do with my time rather than have that dictated by a boss.



What advice would she have to any young women who are trying to get into psychology and neuroscience today?

Learn neuroanatomy and everything about the brain you can learn. Knowledge of the brain is power, because so many people shy away from it by thinking it is too hard to learn. Don't fall into that trap, don't shy away. The neuroanatomy of the brain is beautiful, and if you have that knowledge then it will underly everything else about the brain you will study.


A big thank you to Dr Taylor for answering my questions.

Women's History Month 2013 - Day 15

We have an all-American hero for you today, another one of those women who manages to achieve so much that a mere list of accomplishments would fill a blog post. This woman got things done. I will try and narrow down her story to that concerning her involvement in science (she was a surgeon to be precise), as that is our theme of the month... however please forgive me if I venture into her feminist ways, her penchant for the practicality of male clothes and her involvement in politics. She is also another amazing hat wearer and I simply cannot resist them.

Dr Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919)

Mary Edwards Walker was the youngest of five daughters (with one younger brother) and was born in the state of New York in 1832. From being very young she shunned ‘female’ clothes in favour of more masculine garms, she worked on the family farm and found them more practical and comfortable. Her father supported this practical mode of dress for women, he also believed in a good education for girls as well as boys, and Mary and all her sisters attended the local school where their mother taught. He was also an abolitionist and freethinker, and general all round good guy I think it’s fair to say.

Like Nettie (from WHM Day 13), Mary became a teacher in order to save up enough money to put herself through higher education. In June 1855 Mary, the only woman in her class, graduated from the eclectic Syracuse Medical College, the nation's first medical school that accepted women and men on an equal basis. She graduated at age 21 after three 13-week semesters of medical training which she paid $55 each for, this put her in the small, but steadily growing ranks of female doctors in the US.

Keeping up her interests in women’s rights, advocacy for women to wear trousers (or bloomers as they were coming to be known), Mary set up in New York as a doctor at a practice with her new husband Albert, another physician. It’s fair to say that Mary wore the trousers in the relationship, quite literally. During this time, in the evenings, she would lecture on women’s rights while wearing full men’s evening dress.

In 1861 the American Civil War broke out, and Mary was keen to sign up and use her medical skills. Mary went to Washington and tried to join the Union Army. Surprise, surprise she was denied a position as a medical officer, but volunteered anyway, serving as an assistant surgeon, the first female surgeon in the US Army. Later, she worked as a field surgeon near the Union front lines for almost two years; of course she used this opportunity to wear an adapted military uniform!

In April, 1864 she was captured by Confederate troops and arrested as a spy and imprisoned for four months. She was eventually released back, but spent the rest of the war practicing at a Louisville female prison and an orphanage in Tennessee. She was paid $766.16 for her wartime service. Afterward, she got a monthly pension of $8.50, later raised to $20.

In 1865 Mary was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service (the USA’s highest military award), in recognition of her contributions to the war effort. She was the only woman ever to receive it. However, in 1917 Congress took away her medal, along with the medals of 910 others, when the Medal of Honour standards was reviewed to only include only “actual combat with an enemy”. But Mary refused to hand over her medal, wearing it every day until her death in 1919. A relative told the New York Times: "Dr. Mary lost the medal simply because she was a hundred years ahead of her time and no one could stomach it." The US Army reinstated Walker's medal posthumously in 1977, citing her "distinguished gallantry, self-sacrifice, patriotism, dedication and unflinching loyalty to her country, despite the apparent discrimination because of her sex." Damn straight!!

After the war, Mary lectured (usually in top hat and tails), and wrote books and articles on such subjects as suffrage, dress reform and health. She was ahead of her time in pointing out the health risks of smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol. She must have got something right as she lived to the ripe old age of 86. In 1919 she died of natural causes in her home state of New York. At her funeral an American flag was draped over the coffin in true hero style. She was, of course, buried, as always, in her smart black suit.