COSMOPOLITAN Launches the ‘F-word’ campaign. Cosmopolitian is launching its campiagn on International Women’s Day, and Frost Magazine is supporting them.

This International Women’s Day (8th March) Cosmopolitan will be launching its ‘F Word’ campaign, a series of initiatives championing women – and men – to stand up and be counted and get what they deserve; equality in all aspects of their lives. The ‘F word’ has been created by Cosmopolitan to highlight the fact there has never been a more important time to be a feminist. The magazine has teamed up with some of the UK’s biggest stars who all support the campaign, including Annie Lennox, Jameela Jamil, Emma Bunton and Professor Green.

Miquita Oliver:

“I’ve gone up and down in weight and I’ve never been very glamorous so I’ve always used what I have which is my personality. It would mean so much to me if there were girls who watched me on the telly and thought ‘Oh actually I can just be a funny cool person.’ It’s important to push your personality rather than wearing ‘the right’ skinny jeans.”

Emma Willis:

“People think of it as a dirty word but being a feminist doesn’t mean you’re loud and lairy. You can still be feminine and be a feminist.”

According to the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for equality between men and women, men are currently getting paid almost 15% more than females, rising to 55% in the banking sector. It has also revealed that this is likely to widen, due to public sector job cuts, which are historically female dominated.

Cosmopolitan, the magazine for smart spirited women, believes it is time to take action. It wants the government to get tough now on equal pay, by making it mandatory for companies who employ 250 people or more to carry out a public, annual equal-pay audit – this was due to become law under the last government, but was shelved in 2012 in favour of making these audits voluntary.

The magazine is calling all British women to fight for their right to an equal pay packet by signing the Cosmopolitan Equal Pay petition at www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/equalpay. Cosmo is hoping to gather 100,000 signatures and plans to present the petition to David Cameron later in the year.

Louise Court, Cosmopolitan, Editor, said: “When we heard that the pay gap looked likely to widen in 2012 we felt it was time to stand up and make a difference for women in the UK today. Many women don’t even realise that they could be doing exactly the same job as their male colleagues and not being paid the same wage – it’s time to highlight this unfairness and make positive changes!”

According to a poll of Cosmopolitan readers, 58% would not describe themselves as being a feminist. However, Cosmopolitan believes that there has never been a more important time to be a feminist with inequality between the sexes at an all time high. “It’s time to grab back the word ‘feminism’. It’s a perfectly good word. But we need to simplify it. It’s about equal rights; that’s all. It’s not about being enemies of men.” Says Annie Lennox of the Cosmopolitan F Word campaign.