GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 9 | Page 142

LADYFEST SHANGHAI, 2016

One of the Ladyfest organisers,
Jessica Martinelli.

The theme of Shanghai’s Ladyfest
3.0 was Evolution. The Evolution
of femininity, sexuality and women
are central to its founders; it is their
way of life. Through their grassroots campaigning, the founders
of Ladyfest Shanghai have galvanized women not only in Shanghai,
but throughout China to join in an
awareness of the feminism and
change that is Ladyfest. Through
community-based events such as
Ladyfest, women from every corner
of China are coming together to
celebrate femininity in all its forms.

PROVIDING A SAFE PLACE
FOR THE ‘TABOO’
Ladyfest encourages women to
take a deeper look at their sexuality, by providing an open, welcome
and supportive environment to
think about and discuss topics
previously considered taboo in
traditional Chinese culture - such
as masturbation, STIs and domestic abuse. Ladyfest Shanghai
provides Chinese and expat women
a space where they can feel
comfortable.

LADYFEST SHANGHAI
Ladyfest Shanghai is a three-day extravaganza celebrating
womanhood and femininity through various means. From
workshops on self-defense and body image to live music and
locally made food by women-run businesses, Ladyfest has it all.
Ladyfest Shanghai was inspired when one of the founders, Jen
Childs, attended one of the first Ladyfests in Washington, D.C. Now
as an expat, Jen and the other co-founders of Ladyfest Shanghai
have channelled their international experiences, ideals and values
to create one of the most talked about events in Shanghai.

That’s the thing about Ladyfest - it
gives women a platform to speak
and be free from contempt or
judgement. An example of this is
through the ‘validation chamber’
which one Ladyfest co-founder
described as a workshop dedicated
to affirming the inner and outer
beauty of every woman. The validation chamber provides women with
a safe place where they can feel
comfortable sharing their worries
and concerns regarding taboo
subjects they may be too shy or