Meet the team / Jemma
Hey everyone! My name is Jemma and i'm the Content Editor for The Stop Campaign.
What I listen to: I’m a huge fan of a podcast. I put one on as I get ready for the day. It makes me feel like I’m doing things for myself intellectually when the effort is pretty minimal. Current favourites are probably: Death, Sex and Money, This American Life and Modern Love. This American Life did an amazing podcast on Dan Harmon - the creator of Rick and Morty - which I would solidly recommend. In Our Time is also a classic. It’s super humbling to listen to people who know more about one topic than I will ever know about the world. Music wise I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift and Maggie Rogers. I think they’re cool.
What I watch: When I have time to watch TV, movies ect. it’s mostly pure, cold trash. Mostly shark movies. I watched ‘The Meg’ the other day which was a pretty solid low-point. But ‘Knock Down the House’ on Netflix does get an honourable mention. It’s a super inspiring documentary on four female Democrats who decided to run for Congress in 2018. The fighting spirit of those women burns through every frame of that film. Would recommend. Definitely not trash.
What I see: I really seek out female artists, specifically those who use their creative energy for activism. I don’t necessarily think it’s intentional - subconsciously it’s just the content that inspires me. Currently, Floss (@florencegiven) has my heart. She makes amazing prints and t-shirts on female empowerment, sex and resistance. Recently I bought a bag of hers, it just says “it’s a wonderful day to dump him”. Pretty self-explanatory.
Who I admire: Always Gloria Steinem. At the moment E. Jean Carroll. That woman is an absolute hero. She’s done amazing things for female and investigative journalism and is the latest in a long (long) list of women to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault - read her New York magazine piece, its unfathomable. Her investigation on a string of deaths within a High School in a small New York town continues to be one of the best things I’ve read. The pinnacle in terms of good journalism. Clean, fair and interesting. Also, fun fact, at the National Women’s Hall of Fame you can pay $100 to have a plaque put up in honour of a woman, a copy of which is then sent to that individual. She made one out to Melania Trump that reads: “For Idiocies Suffered as a Result of Being Donald Trump’s First Lady.” That’s actually hilarious. Super excited to devour her new book “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal”.
What I do for myself: I’m a pretty busy bee so there are some days when I leave home at 9am and don’t return till 11pm onwards. It’s tough on those days to find time to centre yourself, especially when it seems everyone needs your time and energy - finite things in themselves. Getting on my bike and listening to good music for 10 minutes while I peddle is always useful. I listen to rain music and mediate before I go to bed. Also I’m blessed with beautiful friends. I find their company to be a form of self-care because they all put a lot of love into their relationships and the things they do as well. Being surrounded by passionate yet wise people makes it easy to stay focused, yet still be cautious of my own wellbeing.
- Jemma Sbeg