While millions of women flooded to DC to defend women’s rights, a hot topic in the spotlight under Donald Trump’s presidency, some are rallying for the opposite cause.
The Lovely Ladies For Men’s Issues activist group, led by 22-year-old Vanessa Lussier, want bring awareness to men’s issues – by stripping off for a sexy calendar.
Vanessa said: ‘It’s kind of unheard of that women support men’s issues. While historically men have had more authority in the society, no society is perfect.
Stripping for a cause? Members of The Lovely Ladies for Men’s Issues (pictured left to right) Reading Wren, Vanessa Lussier and Becky Quinton pose for their calendar photoshoot
‘It’s kind of unheard of’: Founder of the group, Vanessa Lussier, said that it’s uncommon that women to support men’s issues
‘And now that women have basically all their rights, and you see how men are, for example, way more likely to be sentenced for a crime and much more harshly, you have to think men have issues too. So why can’t we talk about that?’
Vanessa along with fellow activists Reading Wren and Becky Quinton plan to get the conversation started while posing in skimpy outfits for the ‘Lovely Ladies for Men’s Issues 2018’ calendar.
But if you’re worried about people only focusing on the women’s scanty attire, the calendar will also feature facts about specific men’s rights issues for the month.
Lovely Ladies co-founder, Reading, 29, said: ‘I think the sexy calendar format is a more playful way of getting people to notice some of the issues that are going on.’
‘To me the most important issue really is paternal rights and what happens to men in family court.’
And because these issues are so important, a portion of the profits from the project will be put towards funding a charity that, according to the girls, ‘trains veterans in high-demand careers’.
‘We want to empower men’: The trio home to bring awareness to men’s issues such as paternal rights
Starting a conversation: Vanessa and other supporters will pose in skimpy outfits for the Lovely Ladies for Men’s Issues calendar 2018
A crowdfunding campaign set up by the group also managed to raise $2,552 to fund the calendar, which equates to 449% of the original target.
But it remains to be seen if other women will want to be involved with a group that aims to represent the women ‘who are dedicated to addressing the inequalities faced by men that are largely ignored in society today.’
Reading said: ‘I’m married, I have kids, and I want my kids to grow up in the world that, if a relationship breaks down, they won’t get screwed over just because their mother’s rights come first.’
The women are on a mission to raise awareness of issues such as male circumcision, which they say is akin to female genital mutilation, and paternal rights.
Vanessa, who is fully aware that her efforts are likely to stoke the ire of the modern women’s movement, said she is a ‘non-feminist’ rather than is an ‘anti-feminist’ because she ‘doesn’t want to silence anybody’.
She explained: ‘To me, feminism is a good idea that got taken advantage of by bad people.’
Getting their attention: Reading said that she thinks the sexy calendar format is a more playful way of getting people to notice some of the issues that are going on
Men matter: Vanessa Lussier said she is a ‘non-feminist’ rather than is an ‘anti-feminist’
Taken advantage of: Vanessa said the to her, feminism was a good idea that was abused by bad people
‘I believe the biggest disruptors to men’s rights are anybody who pushes myths and stereotypes of men, such as “toxic masculinity”.’
The activist and YouTuber has been championing men’s rights since high school, where she said she witnessed friends become entrenched feminists, eventually becoming hostile towards men.
This prompted her to investigate feminism more deeply, leading her to read about men’s rights issues and beginning her affiliation with the movement that would leave people scratching their head.
Vanessa continued: ‘When I realized that feminists were actually pushing views that harmed men, it made me get involved to kind of even the playing field.’
But if only she could even the wage gap.
Her journey would then lead her to establishing the Lovely Ladies for Men’s Rights group, along with Reading and a man known online as ‘mad_cat’.
‘Everyday you see positive reinforcement for women’s sexuality,’ she said. ‘You can wear whatever you want and that’s perfectly fine.’
‘But with men it’s kind of a different story, because they are not as free to express their sexuality as women might be. We are all about telling men it’s okay to have sexual attraction.’
Starting young: Vanessa said she has been championing men’s rights since high school
Hostile femnists: Vanessa said she witnessed friends become entrenched feminists, eventually becoming hostile towards men
Worth it: Vanessa said that if they help just one man, it will be have been worthwhile
Eye opening: The women hope to bring awareness by opening people’s eyes with the calendar featuring pretty ladies
It would seem that men have no problem acting on their attraction especially in light of such scandals such as Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein.
Both Reading and Vanessa have set up various personal social media pages, including YouTube channels which include such videos as Vanessa’s ‘Social Justice Warrior encounters #1 – My First Feminazi’.
Vanessa and Reading held a photoshoot for the upcoming calendar with friend and supporter Becky, 25, in North Carolina on September 2 and the three posed together in swimwear to spread their message of equality – a term that some women would still say they are fighting for.
‘It definitely opens people’s eyes, you know. They will see the calendar and they will see the pretty ladies and be like um, “Ooh. What? I am very interested in that. I want to see what’s going on,”‘ Becky said.
Vanessa added: ‘I personally believe that if we just help one man out there then that’s absolutely worth it.’
‘And if we did somehow cause some sort of problems with the campaign, we would just continue to promote positive sexuality.’