The problem with feminists, according to Australian Humanist of the Year Leslie Cannold, “is that there aren’t enough of them”. In this video of her recent Lunchbox/Soapbox presentation at the Wheeler Centre, the author and ethicist tackles what ideals should inform how female representation unfolds in the popular imagination. Ultimately, she sees us aspiring to build a world in which the need for feminists “withers away”.
Speaking as a novelist (author of The Book of Rachael), Leslie asks: what obligations does a feminist novelist have? Can fictional characters be role models, and if so, should writers endeavour to portray exemplary females? “To my mind, women shouldn’t need to prove they’re better than men to deserve their fair share of life’s opportunities. That they’re human, and it’s only fair, should be enough.”