Artist uses Oculus Rift to offer new perspective on feminism.

The SECOND SEX WAR exhibition by Sidsel Meineche Hansen uses an Oculus Rift and three-dimensional (3D) animations to explore how gender is reproduced in virtual reality (VR) sex videos.

Hansen is well known for her exhibitions and seminars that review the body and its industrial complex. Her latest exhibition, commissioned by Gasworks, London, uses common sexual representations of the female form to highlight the polarity of gender in adult content currently available for virtual reality.

Rob Sharp from Artsy described the exhibit:

“Looking down while wearing an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, the viewer sees a computer-generated torso gyrating erotically around an abstract shape. Pulsating music blasts in the background as the camera angle automatically shifts to view a sexualized avatar’s unmistakably female face.”

The first sex war

SECOND SEX WAR refers to the feminist sex wars of the 1970s and 80s when the nature of explicit content was under debate. While a large slice of feminists believed women’s bodies were being exploited by the patriarchy, others considered female nudity an empowering aspect of free speech. Hansen’s latest work adds a fresh perspective. She subscribes to neither view presented in the sex wars, and instead, offers an alternative.

There’s a good reason why she’s chosen the Oculus Rift as a medium for her work. In an interview with Ryan Ormonde from The Fader, Hansen said she was curious about the effect of digital image distribution. She said she wondered if it had “changed our relationship with our bodies or our sexualities.”

Although the Oculus Rift only became available to the public this March, VR adult material has been in our thoughts for a long time. According to Buzzfeed, virtual sex was being adapted to the Oculus Rift by a group of Japanese developers back in 2013.

Adult content’s contribution to technology

Having had a long-time interest in the relationship between the human body and consumerism, Hansen is well aware of the contributions adult entertainment has made to the tech industry. Distributors of adult content were among the first to send files over the internet and to process payments online. Now, the industry is at the forefront, pushing for advancements in VR.

Cunningly, Hansen has chosen to critique the argument from within. Through a combination of her own work and contracted skilled labour, SECOND SEX WAR displays animations of a 3D female form not dissimilar from those found in adult material now available for the Oculus Rift.

In fact, several of Hansen’s animations feature a woman made from computer-generated imagery (CGI) named EVA 3.0. Created by Nikola Dichev and sold on the digital marketplace Turbosquid, the character is one of many CGI avatars geared towards adult entertainment. She comes with a user manual describing her vaginal maneuverability, and can be interacted with via an avatar.

Unfair censorship and gender binaries

[Note: Some readers may find certain descriptions below NSFW]

One piece displayed called “No Right Way 2 Cum” was made as a response to the 2004 amendment to the United Kingdom’s Communications Act. The amendment meant that adult content provided on the Internet was to be censored to the same guidelines as DVDs. Anything considered dangerous was left out. Included among the high-risk acts was female ejaculation.

Hansen, although a non-subscriber to polarizing or absolute ideals, identifies most with pro-sex feminism, she told The Fader. The influence is apparent in this display which shows 3D animations of EVA masturbating on a looped sequence. Near the end of the loop, ejaculate hits the camera and forms the phrase “No Right Way 2 Cum.”

The artist says the piece was made to disrupt the classic adult scene where a man ejaculates on a woman. Until now, viewers of adult content have been safe in the sidelines of the bystander. But Hansen and her 3D animations change that. In “No Right Way 2 Cum,” viewers are placed in the perspective of the avatar to experience an act that has been labelled taboo.

DICKGIRL 3D (X) again uses EVA’s perspective to display the female form–this time with a penis–engaging in sexual activities. The reciprocator is with what Ryan Ormonde calls an “amorphous and somewhat grotesque biological mass.” In this act, the avatar appropriates “genitalia props” and readymade “pose sets” commonly used to create 3D adult content.

Hansen’s work may be considered confronting. But her viewpoint on both her art and her society is very humble. These artworks may not be intended to intimidate, but to free the minds of viewers from an absolute perspective, and lead them to one that is open and accepting. There is no right or wrong way to be sexual.

SECOND SEX WAR is on display at Gasworks, London until May 29.

Image source: myvirtuallady

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Detect sexually transmitted infections from the comfort of your own home.

Cervical cancer is the 14th most prevalent cancer in the world. According to the World Health Organization, the disease affects 530,000 women each year and takes 275,000 lives.

However, it is the easiest cancer to prevent among women when proper screening and follow-up take place. Lesions found via pap smears can be treated before they become cancerous, and early stage cervical cancer can be managed relatively well. The crucial factor in stopping the disease is to find it before it reaches an advanced stage.

Many women affected don’t have access to sexual health care. Without being regularly tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), they are at risk of becoming infertile or developing cervical cancer.

Even those of us with access to sexual health care often aren’t tested as regularly as we should be. Pap smears and STI tests aren’t fun. They can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Many women are reluctant to be tested for fear of judgement and discrimination from their doctors.

That’s why Jessica Ching, co-founder of Toronto-based sexual health startup Eve Medical, created HerSwab. While speaking with women about an upcoming appointment, she was prompted to find an alternative way to manage sexual health.

What is HerSwab?

HerSwab is a device that allows women to collect their own gynecological samples at home and then send them to a lab for screening. By making the experience accessible and less invasive, it’s hoped that women who are reluctant or unable to go to a clinic can take more control of their sexual well-being.

Eve Medical’s website says HerSwab is easy, intuitive, and painless to use. The device, which looks similar to a tampon with a handle on top, is inserted into the vagina and rotated to collect dry samples from the cervix.

HerSwab tests for HPV and prevents cervical cancer

Although self-testing STI kits like MyLAB Box are already available in certain areas, HerSwab takes things further by allowing home testing for human papillomavirus (HPV). Previous at-home kits have tested mainly for STIs like syphilis and chlamydia. By identifying HPV, HerSwab can detect early signs of cervical cancer and help to prevent it altogether.

There are over 100 different types of HPV. Forty of these can be sexually transmitted, and 15 are known to cause cervical cancer if left untreated. The highest risk strands–HPV-16 and HPV-18–cause 70% of all cervical cancer diagnoses worldwide.

Where is HerSwab at now?

Eve Medical hopes to break down the barriers stopping women from being tested and drastically lower the amount of cervical cancer diagnoses being made. The at-home method is new, but is being rigorously trialled and is believed to be just as accurate as clinical testing. Many women who took part in self-testing trials said it was an easy and comfortable experience they would consider doing again.

Ching hopes her product will be taken onboard by organizations in countries with universal healthcare systems. Testing kits would be mailed to women known to be high risk or irregularly screened, and they would mail them back to a lab. Ideally, an over-the-counter sales system would be put in place in the U.S., Ching told MedCity News.

An estimated 40% of women are not being tested as regularly as practitioners advise. If successful, self-sampling via products like HerSwab could help to drastically improve the numbers of women accessing sexual health services. Eve Medical, and other organizations like it, may have a good chance at lowering cervical cancer death rates while empowering women at the same time.

Women residing in Canada can request a HerSwab sample here.

Image source: Manuel Medina

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Facial recognition and text analysis are preventing women from meeting attackers.

There was no way for Katia to know the man she’d met online was planning to rape her. Like many women using online dating apps and websites, she was cautious and did everything right.

On the night of their first date, the college graduate told her mother and best friend where she would be. She presumed safety in the public locale of a city bar, and she was right, for a time.

Katia continued to see the man, text him, and speak to him on the phone. Having gained her trust, he was privy to her home address. It wasn’t until after the fourth date that things started to go wrong.

One night the man she’d met online, and had considered up until that point to be a “cool guy,” showed up at her apartment with a bottle of wine laced with Rohypnol and raped her.

Katia was beaten and threatened at knifepoint in a five-hour aggravated rape and assault. Despite surviving the ordeal, her life was torn apart. And sadly, even retrospectively, there had been no way to predict it—until now.

New and innovative reverse image searching

Named after one of the many victims of aggravated rape, KATIA aims to stop women from ever meeting an attacker. Responding to the flaws of traditional background checks, which require both first and last names, the program takes advantage of the assets women often have: pictures and text.

An evidence-based rape screening tool, the program uses two unique programming techniques with “R,” a statistical computer and graphics language, to highlight potential dangers.

First, KATIA uses reverse image searching to identify mug shots based on photos posted on online dating sites. It filters through millions of photos stored by American and Canadian law enforcement, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Department of Corrections. Headshots are re-created into composites of layered 3D facial contours, and KATIA’s programming recreates the face based on facial structure and bone geometry.

By doing this, KATIA is able to recognize facial matches in completely different photographs. It manages to easily bypass changes in environment, angle, and camera quality, and takes into consideration up to 25 years of aging. If a man has any criminal charges or convictions, KATIA will find them.

Analyzing text to find common patterns

Additionally, the program analyzes text. Sex offenders often use common language patterns, which are subtle and easily missed. To find them users upload completely unaltered messages they have received, and KATIA consults its linguistics database to find commonalities in language patterns proven to be used by predators. Its sources include law enforcement documents, court transcripts, and testimonies.

KATIA appears to be the most intuitive and successful background check available. Other services search names only, which means that when speaking to someone who is using an alias—which predators almost certainly do—the check becomes redundant. KATIA’s background check is completely legal and confidential, and is available to all U.S. and Canadian women for only $15 per screen.

On the KATIA website, a Chicago Police Officer called Shawn reviewed the technology. He said that after 13 years in the industry, he found the program to be “a very interesting approach in the prevention of sexual violence against women.” He was particularly impressed with the use of facial recognition and reverse image searching, saying he would like to see the technology developed further.

The team behind KATIA has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their more intuitive model, KATIA Plus.

According to the FBI, one U.S. woman is raped every six minutes, and a Washington Post-Kaiser Family poll found that one in five college women had been sexually assaulted. Unfortunately, there are groups of women who are statistically far more likely to become a victim of these crimes than others.

Sexual violence prevention for sex workers

There are close to 80,000 prostitutes in the U.K. who are often reluctant to report attacks to police. Although sex work isn’t criminalized, it is criminal to run a brothel or work independently on the street. Because of this, police have been known to refuse help or enforce stronger restrictions on the industry. As such, the U.K. Network of Sex Workers Projects has developed a way to use technology to take the law into their own hands.

After visiting the network in Manchester, Matt Howarth was inspired by the noticeboard on the wall titled Ugly Mugs, which detailed known sex offenders and unsavory clients. He’s since joined the U.K. Network of Sex Workers Projects to help to create National Ugly Mugs (NUM), a digital—and far more effective—version of the noticeboard.

Comprised of the network’s feedback from sex workers, the app checks incoming calls and messages with its database of dangerous clients. Using GPS technology inspired by Tinder, it alerts workers and brothels when a reported client is in their area. It also includes a “panic button” for workers to press if they feel unsafe, want to contact the police, or report a client to the NUM.

Ideally, the technology behind KATIA could somehow be incorporated into NUM. Many sex workers use apps such as Ohlala to find clients and admit to technology playing a vital role in their work. With access to reverse image searching, sex workers could become safer than ever before.

Technology to protect women from rape and sexual assault is becoming progressively more effective. And KATIA’s unique and confidential screening system opens more doorways than ever. Perhaps one day the rape screening tool will be incorporated into all social networks and applications, allowing all women to predict attacks before they can take place.

Image source: NEC Corporation of America with Creative Commons license

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Trans women and men could one day become pregnant, too.

Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic have become the first in the United States to perform a uterus transplant. The nine-hour surgery took place on Feb. 24 when an organ from a deceased donor was successfully implanted into a 26-year-old patient.

If the trial’s success continues, it may give women born without a uterus, or who have had one removed due to uterine damage, their only chance to carry a child. This transplant is one of ten test procedures planned by the clinic.

How the experimental transplant works

The uterus, cervix, and part of the vagina are removed from the donor. Surgeons also remove the small blood vessels that are connected to the uterus. These vessels then connect the donor’s uterus to the patient’s larger blood vessels on the outside of the pelvis. If the patient still has fallopian tubes or ovaries, they are left unconnected.

Because of the nature of the transplant, it’s impossible for recipients to give birth naturally. They will have to wait a year after the procedure for their bodies to heal before starting in vitro fertilization (IVF). When ready, the baby is delivered via caesarean.

Like all transplants, the patient is required to take anti-rejection medication. Because of this, the uterus is removed after one or two babies have been born.

But there are downsides and concerns

In addition to the Cleveland Clinic, other organizations around the world have begun their own trials. However, naturally, the transplant raises a number of medical and ethical concerns. Despite the eagerness shown by potential candidates, some argue that high-risk procedures should only be performed when attempting to save lives.

The use of anti-rejection drugs poses potential difficulties as well. It’s still unclear how they may affect a developing fetus. The known side effects include increased risk of infection and possible preterm delivery. However, several women who became pregnant while taking the drugs for a kidney transplant experienced no serious side effects.

Unlike previous trials, both the Cleveland Clinic and Womb Transplant U.K. are using organs from deceased donors. Although this is beneficial in excluding risk to healthy donors, the effects are unknown, adding to the many possible pitfalls of such an experimental process.

The procedure is at the forefront of medical innovation. Previously, Sweden’s University of Gothenburg had been the only group to have successfully performed the transplant to result in births. Nine women received uteri from live donors, resulting in five pregnancies and four births. All of the babies were born prematurely, but otherwise healthy.

Benefits may extend to trans women and men

It’s taken the Cleveland Clinic over a year to develop a plan that meets safety approval, and a lot of their knowledge has come from the results of the University of Gothenburg, as well as failed attempts abroad. The clinic’s recent patient was one of ten women being screened for the procedure. A 26-year-old candidate told the New York Times that despite having two adopted children, she still craves the chance to become pregnant and give birth.

“I want the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. That is something I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember.”

It’s possible that this transplant technology could allow more than just cis women born physiologically female to carry a child. According to Karine Chung, director of the fertility preservation program at the University of South Carolina, transgender women may have the opportunity to carry their own children in the next five to ten years.

There are, however, several issues that need to be worked through. Currently, the transfer of the embryo into the uterus is done via the vagina and cervix. For trans women, this would mean implanting a constructed vagina to attach to the uterus, which has never been attempted.

The use of synthetic hormones also raises concerns. Justine Evans from Creation Fertility, who specializes in IVF treatment, told The Huffington Post the amount of drugs needed to maintain the pregnancy could prove problematic to the health of both mother and child, as well as future generations. Additionally, the process would be costly, ruling out many potential candidates.

But there is hope. While options for trans couples to foster and adopt remain limited, the possibility of extending uterine transplants to cater to their needs has been named theoretically possible by the Cleveland Clinic. This means that, in time, it may be regular for both trans and cis women, as well as men, to carry children.

The Cleveland Clinic’s recent transplant provides an immense opportunity. If future trials are successful, there are an estimated 50,000 potential U.S. patients who could benefit. And as we continue to trial and learn, we may make motherhood a reality for those it had previously been considered impossible.

Medically, the future of motherhood may be limitless. The path to making that possible lies in our attitudes and acceptance towards those wanting to give birth to a child.

Image source: Eric Schmuttenmaer

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Learn to read and understand your body to boost your chances of conceiving. 

For many women, trying to conceive can be a far more complex and systematic process than the natural miracle we often imagine. It’s estimated that fertility problems will affect one in seven couples in the UK, and that almost 11% of U.S. women aged 15 to 44 will have trouble becoming pregnant. Thankfully, there is a sea of products and services that can help.

Using health apps has become a daily ritual for many women. In January 2014, one-third of U.S. smartphone users were recorded using health apps. From the widely used Period Tracker to Apple’s iBreastcheck, almost every aspect of women’s health is covered in app form. And fertility tracking is no exception. There is a plethora of apps on the market designed to help women and couples become more aware of their bodies and fertility.

Glow

Created by the co-founder of Paypal, Max Levchin, Glow claims to have helped more than 20,000 women successfully conceive. The app is a compact bundle that includes a fertility tracker, a pocket GP, and a large online community. Its comprehensive data collection system allows it to provide more than just fertility insights, giving users regular general health advice like broader-focused apps iTriage and Health Buddy.

Like all fertility tracking apps, it asks users to log their menstrual cycles but requests other information as well. Daily stress levels, basal body temperature, and cervical position are asked for, as well as smoking and alcohol intake. Taking these into account, Glow predicts its users’ daily fertility rates and sends a reminder to their phones when they are most fertile.

Glow offers the opportunity for men to get involved, too. Fathers-to-be can create an account and link it to their partners for more complex insight into their fertility. On top of all this, Glow’s online community gives its users a space to talk about all aspects of pregnancy and parenting.

Ovia

Ovia is the first creation from Boston-based company Ovuline. The website states it’s part of a “new generation of health apps built by scientists and doctors using sophisticated algorithms.” By logging menstrual cycles, eating and sleeping habits, and other data, the app claims to help women conceive up to three times faster.

With data collected from millions of women across the globe, Ovuline considers its app an authority on accurately predicting ovulation. It also provides a mass of articles and knowledge on all aspects of conception and pregnancy.

Daysy

Using Daysy, a fertility monitor that can be synced to an app, users take their basal body temperatures every morning. Based on this, the monitor determines when users are fertile and claims to be 99.3% accurate.

The connected app, DaysyView, then shows users their daily, weekly, and monthly fertility statuses and menstrual cycle forecasts. Users will be notified of any changes in their cycle, and can share their fertility information with their loved ones by partnering their apps and synchronizing data.

Unlike Ovia and Glow, Daysy is designed to function as both a fertility tracker and pregnancy preventer. By accurately predicting ovulation, it can be used as a natural contraceptive for those who want to avoid alternatives like the pill. The app itself is free, and the fertility monitor can be purchased for $330.

If nothing else, fertility tracking apps are taking away some of the stress of uncertainty and replacing it with a sense of control. As a whole, the ability to log and analyze our health details allows us to become better attuned our natural cycles.

Ovuline’s chief executive, Paris Wallace, told The Guardian fertility tracking apps let users “take control of their fertility.” And judging by their popularity, they’re doing more than that.

Tens of thousands of women are attributing their pregnancies to the use of apps that help them track their cycles, and as research continues these apps will only become more complex, accurate, and insightful.

Image source: Esparta Palma

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Wearable technology emits alarms and distress signals

Athena, a wearable smart device intended to protect women from assault, is the first product released by social justice innovators Roar for Good.

Easily clipped to bags or clothing, the piece of smart jewelry allows women a subtle way to call for help should they ever feel unsafe or threatened.

How Athena works

Pressing the button for three seconds causes Athena to emit a loud alarm while sending a distress message with its wearer’s GPS location to stored emergency contacts. The concave structure of the button prevents accidental alarms, and pressing the button quickly three times sends a silent message when its user is in need of discretion.

What’s new about Athena

Roar for Good co-founder and Chief Executive Yasmine Mustafa explained the thought process behind the device’s capabilities in an interview with Her Philly.

“We talked to police and self-defense instructors and asked them what would work best in terms of a deterrent that can’t be used against the wearer,” she said. “Existing self-defense tools double as weapons and we learned women are afraid they’ll be overpowered and they’re own device would be used against them.”

The team also found that existing solutions focused on sending messages for help after an event had taken place. Because of this, they made it their mission to create a device that could reduce assaults and give women a “pre-emptive strike.”

After smashing their Indiegogo target of $40,000 and raising over $300,000, the team behind Athena have been able to ready the device for release in May 2016.

Mustafa told Her Philly she was inspired to build Rear for Good after travelling in South America and hearing women recount numerous stories of assault. The website states the group of innovators goal is to create a world where “everyone feels safe and empowered.”

They’re not the only ones striving for it via wearable technology.

Personal Guardian does things differently

After witnessing an assault outside her apartment, Rebecca Pick was scared and shocked by the lack of interference from passers-by. While studying at university, the 22-year-old devised Personal Guardian: a simple electronic device that connects a mobile phone via Bluetooth to alert emergency services to the exact location of an ongoing attack.

The device can be, like Athena, worn as jewelry or clipped onto clothes or bags. Its point of difference is two buttons that, when pressed together, trigger the wearer’s mobile phone and calls a monitoring station. There, staff listen to the audio recording to ascertain if an attack is taking place. If they believe it is, police are directed to the exact location via GPS, and the recording is saved for evidence in court.

Although it was the attack outside her apartment that catalyzed her creation, Pick’s technical inspiration came from her time working in security, observing specialist staff authenticating house alarms.

Personal Guardian is designed to be free; however users will need to pay a monthly fee for monitoring station services.

It’s a small price for safety —which would ideally be guaranteed. But women like Pick and Mustafa know that it’s simply not the case. Recent studies show that one in three female students at British universities had experienced sexual assault or unwelcome advances, and Australian studies continue to show that one in five females over 15 will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. While the danger still exists, so does the need for new, innovative ways to combat it.

Both Athena and Personal Guardian make it their goal to provide women with quick and discreet distress calls should they need them. Until the world is a safe and empowering place, these pieces of wearable technology are sure to provide valuable emergency options and a lot of peace of mind.

Image source: Michael

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