Laurie penny

Away from the scenes in eastern Europe, a very different terf war was playing out on Twitter yesterday between JK Rowling and former New Statesman journalist Laurie Penny. The latter is a consistent and very public critic of Rowling's views on sex and gender, having previously suggested the Harry Potter author is a transphobe for whom the label 'terf' – 'trans exclusionary radical feminist' – seems applicable. Penny, one of Tatler's top 100 'people who matter' in 2012, has been complaining bitterly that her latest literary offering has been panned by the critics.

Melania Trump should be a feminist icon. She is determined and self-assured. Despite being one of the most criticized women alive, she remains defiant. She rejects the notion that she is merely an extension of her husband. The most sacred principle of feminism is choice. Unlike Melania who sought a life of fame and fortune, I made more conventional choices and decided I would find success on a more conventional path. After four years, two degrees, several thousand dollars of debt and an eight-month unpaid internship, I now find myself staring down the barrel of unemployment. Increasingly I am turning to women who achieved the seemingly impossible with much higher odds stacked against them. I need look no further than Melania Trump.