Since the #MeToo movement was sparked in 2017, women have been speaking up and sharing their own stories in an incredibly powerful way. And, thankfully, it’s showing no sign of stopping anytime soon. 

Which is why at Stylist, we’ve been giving more women a voice and championing gender equality through our Visible Women campaign – which launched in January 2018. Not only are women still shockingly underrepresented in positions of power and influence, but a recent survey of bylines and editorial photographs in the print editions of the Times, Financial Times, Guardian and Daily Mail has revealed that three quarters (77%) of comment articles are written by male journalists. Two thirds (65%) of all articles in the news and business sections of the newspapers are by men. And national newspapers in the UK are mostly written by male journalists, despite the fact that women make up nearly half of the profession.

So, when Laura Whitmore published her article on the #MeToo movement earlier this year, it made a lot of people sit up and pay attention.

Her shattering essay about being sexually violated in a nightclub sparked such a huge debate around the general objectification of women by men and the media. And Stylist knew, then and there, that hers was a voice we wanted to amplify.

Enter Speak Up with Laura Whitmore, in partnership with Stylist.

On Monday 13 August, stylist.co.uk will be taken over by the force of nature that is Whitmore, who aims to – along with a team of female writers – shine a light on the day’s most important headlines, challenge the status quo, spark debate, encourage conversation and, above all else, champion women’s voices.

Whitmore says: “Thanks to widespread internet reach, we know about things that would otherwise be happening in far-flung corners of the earth. But, with so many stories pouring into our newsfeeds, it can be hard to stay engaged. That’s why I think it’s more important than ever before to talk about the day’s headlines, form opinions and make our voices heard.

“As an avid reader and massive fan of Stylist, I can’t wait to take over their website for the day and get people talking about the news again.

“Inspired by my new radio series, Laura Whitmore’s Sunday Session on BBC Radio 5 Live, we will be covering everything from the top news stories of the day to the amusing ones that went unnoticed. There’s also in-depth interviews, as well as lots of banter and debate.

“You can expect my day with Stylist to very much reflect the many interests I have, make use of my journalistic background and embrace my natural curiosity. I can’t wait to get started!”

Kayleigh Dray, Stylist’s Digital Editor, adds: “Laura Whitmore is a brilliant journalist and presenter. With her help, we hope to help our readers rekindle their love for the news – no small feat, in a world of 24-hour rolling headlines – and encourage them to make their voices heard, whenever and wherever they can.”

In the meantime, before Monday arrives you can tune into Laura Whitmore’s Sunday Session on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Images: Getty / Instagram