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.

Why Laura Whitmore is taking over Stylist.co.uk for one whole day