Here is the full text of the conversation with freelance journalist Chrissie Russell that led to her article “Childless and Happy? You’d better believe it…”
She was interested in looking at how we judge women who choose not to have children, and why.
As the evening draws in I find myself wondering what’s happening on the streets of Ireland this evening. How many people are starting to feel dizzy and sick from drink, feeling they should stop but not wanting to appear as “lightweights”. How many fights have started, how many unwise decisions have been made, how many people are fumbling frustratedly in their pockets, wondering where all their money has gone (already ?!!? and on pay day?!!..). How are the bar staff coping, the health care workers, the guards, the families?
What’s the deal with selfies? More often than not, selfies are taken and posted online by young girls and women, and worryingly, these young girls and women are in increasingly submissive and/or sexualised poses.
Thank you porn.
Here is a conversation I had with Chrissie Russell, a freelance journalist around this topic. The resulting published online newspaper article is here. Continue reading
Here is the full text of a conversation with freelance journalist Chrissie Russell where she was exploring the notion that logging onto social network sites can actually result in us feeling worse about ourselves rather than feeling happier and more connected.
Do you think people feel under pressure to have the ‘perfect’ life online? If so, why?
This was a Q&A with freelance journalist Chrissie Russell about men who cheat and the women who stay with them (and yes, I know that women cheat too, but that’s for another day!)
In terms of character traits, is there a certain ‘type’ of man more likely to cheat? Continue reading
This is my response to the criticism of the Spunout.ie threesome page by Michelle Mulherin.
I would like to offer my opinion on today’s publicity around Spunout.ie’s section on Threesomes on their website.
I am in fact a huge fan of the website, and as a sex educator with teens myself feel an alliance with people who are willing to offer fact based sex education in a country where we are still utterly lacking in good quality sex education for second level students.
I was interviewed for this piece by Chrissie Russell, a journalist who is interested in the assumptions made around gender, in particular, the assumption that women will want to, and will go on to have children. It was an interesting one to do, and I’ll make the full text of my answers to her available in the future. For now – here’s the version that was printed in the Irish Independent:
Part of my job as a Counselling Psychologist and psychotherapist is to provide sex education to groups of teenagers. This morning, during a discussion of yesterday’s Irish Examiner story looking at the effects of teen exposure to pornography, I was asked by a 16 year old male student to explain the different kinds of rape.
This was my response several years ago in the Irish Examiner who, not for the first time in my experience, appear to be confused as to which cause they are championing: The promotion and protection of women’s rights, or the war on womens’ self esteem via media driven unrealistic body image and portrayal. As a psychotherapist I witness daily the results of poor body image and low self esteem: self loathing, disordered eating, depressed feelings, social withdrawal.. I could go on.
These ‘symptoms’ are also presented by the sex industry workers with whom I have had contact.
Coincidence?
The lenience with which sexual predators and rapists are treated by Irish judges always astounds me. The most recent was this week, in July 2012, where a six year sentence was handed down with five and a half years inexplicably suspended by Judge Hogan. There are more judgements to see here. I find this offensive, and I know that this system of ‘justice’ is precisely what has, and what will continue to deter women from reporting crimes against them. Continue reading
