The views and opinions expressed in these works are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or beliefs of the Women’s Officers then or now. The Women’s Department acknowledges that the content of these works may include language and ideas which may be considered outdated and offensive, but which were in common usage at the time of publication. We made the decision not to edit this content in the hope that these works serve to demonstrate how far women and the feminist movement have come, and how far we still have to go.

CW: racism, patriarchy, eating disorders

The 2002 edition of Dissent:

What is Dissent?

Dissent is a publication brought to you by the Women’s Department dedicated to giving a voice to the women of Monash by providing a stage to voice their reality, experiences, opinions, frustrations, wants and needs. Dissent has been published in 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 09, 10, 14, 15 and 16 at the discretion of the women’s officers and their budget capability. We invite you to contribute by designing and submitting your own work to msa-womens@monash.edu

How did Dissent begin?

The first edition of Dissent was published by the Women’s Campaign, in conjunction with the Public Affairs Committee of the MAS (MSA) and Monash University Union in 1993. It shared news of the controversy surrounding a Women’s Department and the right to a Women’s Officer as well as other poems, articles, comics, images and essays on topics including menstrual products, shopping centres, beauty standards, sex work, violence against women, HIV and more.

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