Feminism has accomplished much for women. Certainly in the West, women are equal to men before the law and there is a push for equal opportunities in the job market and in politics. But women are not free until they have bodily autonomy. Even in the West, the female body has traditionally been subordinate to that of men, and this is more fundamental than we have been led to believe. Writer and journalist Maartje Laterveer calls on women to take ownership of their bodies, but above all calls on governments, health institutions, media, the fashion industry and advertisers to take responsibility. As long as the female body is colonized by patriarchy, we will never achieve equality.

#thefemalebody #bodilyautonomy #womensliberation #stophijackingthefemalebody #reclaimyourbody I’m a journalist, writer and consultant. As a journalist I write about inclusion and diversity, on which I also advise corporate clients. I’ve written non-fiction books on gender, a topic I find especially fascinating after starting my career in fashion journalism and having interviewed the most successful women on this planet, only to discover that they all have one thing in common: deep-seated insecurity. I’ve come to believe that society plays a big role in this by socializing women ánd men in patriarchal structures. I’ve shaped my career around exploring these structures and helping people break free from it to be(come) who they are. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx