Melinda Tankard Reist

Today I am joined by author, speaker, media commentator, blogger and advocate for women and girls, Melinda Tankard Reist. She is best known for her work addressing sexualisation, objectification, harms of pornography, sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence against women.

Melinda is author/editor of five books including Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls (Spinifex Press, 2009), now in its 9th printing, Big Porn Inc: Exposing the Harms of the Global Pornography Industry (Spinifex Press, 2011, co-edited with Dr Abigail Bray) and her new release Prostitution Narratives: Stories of Survival in the Sex Trade (Spinifex Press, 2016, co-edited with Dr Caroline Norma).

An opinion writer, Melinda is also a regular on morning television and has appeared on ABC’s Q&A and The Gruen Sessions as well as many other TV and radio programs.

In this episode:

Melinda shares her blueprint of using words to bring about change, in particular about the exploitation of girls and women.
Her unwavering purpose in creating a world free of sexual exploitation.
Her work in action with the current corporate social responsibility campaign against Westfield and Honey Birdette.
How she brings people along the journey with her and inspires others into action.
How ‘going bush’, yoga and strong friendships help Melinda deal with such demanding work.
The power of social media as a medium for social change campaigning.
Why it is important to stay on course, think long term and to always remember your vision when trying to live a life on purpose, even when people are trying to derail you.

“The standards you walk pass are the standards you have chosen to accept. Silence is complicity, speaking out is the language of change”.

Today’s Get on Purpose Action (GOPA):