La Barbe

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|purpose = Women rights

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La Barbe(The Beard) is a French feminist group. It was founded in 2008. It aims at denouncing the absence or under-representation of women in contemporary culture. This includes influence and power dynamics in politics, economics and media.

History

File:Action_du_groupe_féministe_La_Barbe_à_Paris..jpg

The group emerged during the 2007 French presidential elections. Some advocates of Ségolène Royal were shocked by sexist allusions directed towards her.{{Cite news|url=http://www.liberation.fr/societe/2010/03/08/a-chacune-son-feminisme_613828|title=A chacune son féminisme|work=Libération.fr|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr}} The group gathered around Marie de Cenival, a former Act UP-Paris activist, gathering women who were not deeply involved in an association or a feminist movement before. In October 2008, "twenty active members, thirty sympathizers" according to Liberation, were members of the group.{{Cite news|url=http://next.liberation.fr/culture/2008/10/25/le-gang-des-postiches_562355|title=Le gang des postiches|work=Libération.fr|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr}} In March 2010 fifty members were enlisted. The name of the group was a reference to the beard, as symbol of the masculinity, and to the familiar French interjection "La barbe!" meaning "Enough!"

Their first public demonstration took place on February 28, 2008, during a signing session of the Éric Zemmour at Drugstore Publicis in Paris.{{Citation|last=Harrietamy|title=la barbe eric zemmour|date=2008-02-28|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKBgAiASRY|access-date=2018-09-02}} According to the Le Nouvel Observateur, La Barbe is legally founded as non-profit association on March 8, 2008, for international women's day.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nouvelobs.com/medias/20100207.OBS6127/la-barbe-contre-la-domination-masculine.html|title="La barbe" contre "la domination masculine"|work=L'Obs|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr-FR}} The group demonstrated in Paris with Act Up-Paris and the Panthères roses, attaching a beard to one of the statues on the Place de la République.{{Cite web|url=http://old.tassedethe.com/cadres/souscadre/tendance/lesbo-feminisme.htm|title=Tasse de Thé, Culture Lesbienne|last=COM|first=PEETERS|website=old.tassedethe.com|access-date=2018-09-02}}File:Remise_du_diplome_de_Barbe_d'or_-_La_Barbe_Toulouse_groupe_d'action_féministe.jpg

The group appeared during the 2000s, marked by a new generation of feminists with the creation of the associations Ni putes ni soumises in 2003 and Osez le féminisme in 2009 or Les TumulTueuses in 2010.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2010/03/06/791641-journee-femme-releve-veut-donner-nouveau-souffle-feminisme.html|title=Journée de la femme: la relève veut donner un nouveau souffle au féminisme|work=ladepeche.fr|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr}}

In the media, the creation of the magazine Causette in 2009 is a testimony of the renewal of feminism in France. Joy Sorman stated, “these collectives are living proof of the renewal of political activism among the younger generations".{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2011/07/15/l-emancipation-des-femmes-passera-par-celle-des-hommes-appeles-a-se-debarrasser-de-leurs-stereotypes-et-a-refuser-les-assignations-de-genre_1549131_3232.html|title=L'émancipation des femmes passera par celle des hommes|work=Le Monde.fr|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr-FR}} With its sense of derision, La Barbe participated in a more general movement of "activist irony"{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/le-monde-2/article/2009/09/11/les-partisans-du-rire-militant_1238238_1004868.html|title=Les partisans du rire militant|work=Le Monde.fr|access-date=2018-09-02|language=fr-FR}} next to other collectives such as L'appel et la pioche, Génération précaire, Jeudi noir, Sauvons les riches et les Clowns à responsabilités sociales.

References