What kind of power would you like?
Give me the power to make people genuinely want to be better people.
How would it manifest?
You would see sharing, caring, healthy, independent people everywhere. The world’s complicated problems like war, health problems, global warming and refugee crises could be reduced
What would enable it?
Try to be a good person, doing good things. Encourage others to be cooperative by promotion with the power of money [the Marla Drake advantage], education.
What do you admire most about Frida Kahlo and "Freda" Josephine Baker?
Frida Kahlo: her passion. She seems to perceive her feminine self as the source of strength, passion and power.
Freda Baker: her determination to live her dreams. She fought for what she believed in and for a greater community of people.
What do you think of when you think of them?
My mother: She’s survived cancer, she’s been an amazing single mother, she’s maintained a successful career, and to her family and friends she is a pillar of strength and kindness.
I can see some aspects of my life now that aligns with the Fridas (and Mum):
My career- I work very hard in my career not only for pride but to have a positive influence on the industry. I teach mostly young women in the beauty industry, which is a very good place to educate and promote feminism.
My life- I don’t put up with bad behaviour in men.
Who is your favourite superhero- contemporary or imagined?
1940s comic hero Marla Drake (aka Miss Fury), a single mother with an adopted son she had saved in Brazil. She was a skilled athlete, acrobat, climber and fighter. She was also a smart amateur detective and very wealthy. Her panther suit was supposedly enchanted by a witch doctor and also had claws. She sometimes used the spiked heels on her costume as weapons in addition to using a whip.
What would you change in Melbourne? Australia? The world?
In Melbourne: stop the ‘urban sprawl’ with high density living, improve transport congestion issues and do whatever else that might make our air cleaner.
In Australia: quash the arrogant culture that underpins Australia’s racism.
In the world: Sustainability first. Perhaps start with the plastic manufacturing companies. The pharmaceutical industry is just as incredible - there’s so much ill will in the world!
Are there any other issues that are important to you? Locally? Globally?
All mentioned above.
Do you feel like change is possible in these areas? How?
Urban sprawl: Lobby the government. The government needs to think sustainably about how they plan land. Building new estates and promoting the need for people to buy land to have a large house for few people with a big car that they need because there’s no public transport…is ridiculous.
Pharmaceutical industry: Hurt the CEOs. I think it is the top CEOs of pharmaceutical companies in cahoots with medical journals making decisions about what information is made available to doctors and researchers. I believe these people are unlikely to become ‘good’ people - only money will make these people stop what they’re doing.
Australia’s racism: Educate the children. Racism is difficult to tackle, though it isn’t as dangerous in Australia as it is in some countries – such as those with guns. I think in Melbourne, racism is handled and approached very well by promoting multiculturalism in education. Racial stereotypes may be prevented if perhaps the carers and teachers were from different cultures. Children can also be isolated physically when they attend separate schools or participate in different activities. For example, religious education (or the option not to) is an activity that physically divides cultures during education and may engender segregation amongst peers.
Do you think your ideas could change anything?
The ideas might – but it would take a LOT of superpower!
Are you comfortable speaking your mind/putting ideas into the world?
I wish I was! I am an author and in no way a speaker. I would need a promoter.
Do you consider yourself a feminist? Womanist? Why/why not? What does this mean to you?
As a feminist, with a feminist education I am happy to see that men these days have been suitably stripped of what was once seen as their ‘rights’ over women. I would call myself womanist too. I’ve known women to be denigrated by their husbands or fathers, but it is not easy for them to say, ‘Don’t treat me like that’ – it’s difficult to say, when it is a deep-rooted cultural behaviour. It’s painful to see this culture, and in all ethnicities –including Australian.
Obviously, a woman should not be oppressed – that is classic feminism and womanism. On the other hand, abuse in relationships in a general sense is insidious in all cultures, ages and without discrimination to gender. A woman should be able to identify whether she is an ‘enabler’ of bad behaviour in men. Is it an apathy or weakness that allows her to be abused for lack of wanting to leave because she doesn’t want to or is led to believe that she can’t? Continuing in a bad relationship is not the same as oppression, in my view.
How often do you subconsciously/consciously think about your desired superpower when you dress on a daily basis?
I dress in slinky black a lot – that would be subconscious, and very ‘Melbourne’. My ‘power’ dress is reserved for when I head to work and stomp around.
