Cherchez La Femme
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Cherchez La Femme

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What inspired you to create Cherchez La Femme, was there a specific catalyst? 

I was just really tired of going to events with wall-to-wall dudes. The only feminist events I could find were located within universities, or events outside of that environment were often quite sexist. So I literally started the kind of event that I wanted to go to. I wanted to explore the idea of investing women with a kind of moral authority, and valuing what women had to say. Which is a really powerful thing as it turned out, to have women who are all feminists not apologising for two hours every month, allowing ourselves to focus on what’s happening in the lives of women, and to talk about the patriarchy without fear of reprisal.

Was it just you in the beginning? Or was the creation of CLF a collaborative effort?

Yes it was just me. Because no one else was interested. This was five years ago, feminism wasn’t as front and centre in pop culture or political agenda as it is now. When I told people about the idea to host a feminist talk-show, most of my colleagues warned me not to call it “feminist” because it would scare people off.  But I refused to water the event down, and have it become something I was not proud of.

Do you have a favourite topic that CLF has presented?

Feminism and Fat was incredible. It was one of those knock out topics because people really didn’t know what to expect. Fat/body positivity and autonomy is another topic that has really gotten a lot more traction in the past few years, in the feminist movement anyway. It was a deeply emotional and personal night, with electricity in the air. I felt very privileged to be a part of that discussion.

 

How do you program the lineup of panellists each month?

We work on a few different levels. We want to build a panel that will have a rapport and chemistry, it’s a bit like match-making. The particular kind of magic we are trying to create is about having a panel of different ages, races, sexualities, abilities and so on. One that is going to be representative and inclusive and diverse, but also of course be entertaining.

You mention “inclusivity” as something you are striving for. How else do you ensure your event meets this criteria?

We just try and pay attention, to women and debates that are currently happening within feminism about intersectionality. The team that puts CLF together every month is committed to making sure the show isn’t a narrow, mainstream version of feminism. We all check each other to make sure the panel is going to be diverse and representative, and we do this in a lot of areas within CLF.  Also, we are considering what audiences want to see, what topics are of interest that month and of course who is available and comfortable in front of an audience.

Do you find it difficult getting women up on stage at times?

We will routinely ask a brilliant woman to be on the panel, who will repeatedly insist that she is not talented or accomplished enough, that she doesn’t have the expertise or authority to be on a CLF panel. This is really an effect of structural sexism. You have to coax women into expressing their opinion in a public forum, because we are socialised from a really young age to think what we say doesn’t matter.

Why the the name Cherchez La Femme?

I have a French background, and the term captivated me because it was so sexist. Cherchez La Femme literally means “look for the woman” when something has gone wrong, because she will be the cause of it. So it’s perfect for us, as literally every month we are looking for ‘the woman’. And then we situate her within a broader issue, and privilege her perspective and experience on that issue.

You recently hosted Feminism and Porn – which seemed very highly anticipated by the CLF community. Is there a reason you held off on tackling this controversial topic?

We were very conscious of the huge responsibility to get this topic right, because none of us at CLF are sex-workers. So it took a lot of consultation and research to make sure we didn’t fuck it up. There are many “contentious” topics we want to present, but it takes a lot of time and work to make them happen appropriately and respectfully. One of our panellists for Feminism and Porn, who is a porn performer, received threats for being on CLF, which was so disturbing. A major challenge we have with these high-octane topics, is that we don’t want to put anyone in harm’s way. But we won’t be cowed into submission either.

You recently took up residence in The Melba Spiegeltent. Any reason for the move?

The Spiegeltent is our fifth venue in five years. And we are moving because the demand is growing so we needed a bigger venue to accommodate the numbers. Having a fully accessible venue is really important to us, and The Melba Spiegeltent is just so beautiful. Additionally, sharing the space with Circus Oz feels right, as they really share in our values of inclusivity, equality and diversity.

Doyou have any feminist icons you draw inspiration from?

Oh wow, there are so many. One of my best friends from school named Dossy, who passed away, was I suppose my first feminist role model. Because she would challenge me and call me on my shit. There are so many feminist icons and hero’s that we look up to, but the most important feminists I know are the ones I sit with, hold hands with, and who ask the hard questions. It’s ultimately not the radical texts or famous personalities that change us, but our relationships with other women in the everyday.

BY AMY BROOMSTICK