I know I have been posting a lot of TED stuff lately, but the TEDWomen conference was so full of extraordinary, inspiring and visionary women, that it seems important to keep spreading their words around the world.
This talk is particularly significant to me, as I look to making my first steps into the working world. I am particularly struck by the data pertaining to the likability of successful women and men. I hope to be one of the women who, in whatever small way, helps to right this inequality – it seems crazy that we still have so far to go. Our minds haven’t caught up with our legislation yet. Equality still eludes us in fundamental ways.
I genuinely believe that my female friends are much, MUCH more employable than my male friends. Obviously there are exceptions, some of the most phenomenally smart and qualified people I know are male, but in general, the women are much more hireable.
Don’t ask me why, but the women I know have undertaken more, and more impressive, work experience, have travelled, have leadership skills from taking part in groups and activities since they were young. Most of the guys I know have one hobby only: sports. Football, Formula 1, or whatever, they spend their extra time playing it, watching it, and in the pub they talk about it.
They are less developed. At 21 and 22, their humour is still largely racist and sexist, they are closed-minded about interests that would make them seem less masculine, and their level of sensitivity is shocking low.
Hanna Rosin’s outlook seems extremely bleak to me. It assumes that there must ALWAYS be one dominant gender, which was never the goal of the feminist movement. EQUAL rights is what women fought for, and what we still fight for to this day; righting the millennia old bias towards men. But that is not to say that we want to take everything they had for ourselves.
I am merely picking out one point she has made about the education, emotional intelligence and employability of men leaving higher education, which is exactly the point that I am at today.
In a few months time (with a lot of hard work and a few exams) I will graduate from one of the best universities in the UK. It is my observation that while most of my male friends could talk extensively about the upcoming transfer window, or the season-wide performance of the Red Bull team, or the porn that they have recently watched online, their skills as employees are far below those of the women around them.
So, there it is. I have no doubt that as they age and mature, their interests will broaden and their outlook will adjust to be more tolerant, but in the meantime, the women are stronger candidates.
This TED talking is something that absolutely everyone - mothers, fathers, grandparent, teachers and leaders - even outside of the extreme circumstances that Tony Porter experienced as a teenager, there is so much truth in the 'Man Box' idea.
When my mother died, my father worked incredibly hard to ensure that my two brothers and I could express our feelings openly and without judgement. ALl the while, trying to remain strong for us as he grieved. But we were children. When my father died a few years later we were teenagers, and my brothers both struggled with showing their emotions. My little brother, only 10 years old, was so embarrassed to have been seen crying by his friends that he initially refused to return to school.
It broke my heart. I never felt stifled in that way. And to be unable to grieve openly when something like that happens... Well, it would destroy the best of men.
The work that Tony Porter is doing is vital to us all. As he says, "My liberation as a man is tied to your liberation as a woman".
I have always looked on Victoria’s Secret ads with a totally puzzled and fairly disgusted eye. Their catalogues are famous the world over as more likely to be found covered with not-mysterious stains under a teenage boy’s bed than with pages hopefully turned down on the average woman’s kitchen table. ‘Victoria Secret model’ is synonymous with ‘Most Beautiful Women in the World’ airbrushed to a whole new level of terrifying perfection. ‘Angel’ is a laughable and insulting term for these bra-and-panties clad gym-and-salad gorging semi-humans. In a sense, however, it didn’t matter. It is an American institution; it is the American way. It was across the pond and avoidable.
But now, like all things, the inevitable American influence has washed up on our shores in the form of La Senza’s Cup-Sized Choir. Seriously, who are they trying to sell to? Boyfriends and husbands? Not only appealing to the lowest-common-denominator of the male gender, but also a slap-in-the-face Christmas gift. ‘Honey, I saw boobs on TV and thought buying the product for you would make you more desirable…’. Well Merry Fucking Christmas to you too! Why don’t I book you in for a penis enlargement?
Why is women’s underwear advertised this way? In our lifetimes, probably 90% of our underwear ownership is about comfort, support and fit. About US! 10% is about looking hot for some luck guy. If we put the power of purchase in the hands of men, what is left? We’ll all be walking around with scraps of fabric up our asses and nipple tassels under our work shirts…
There is a whole other post to be written about the fact that there is only one store in the UK that sells bras made in real sizes. Any woman who has been measured by a professional knows that hardly anyone is actually a 34B. For now, though, I ask you, WHY WHY WHY is our underwear being sold to us via men? Why is the sexy 10% of our underwear needs the only part being pitched to us?
In closing, I should make it abundantly clear that I absolutely love wearing hot underwear, the objects themselves are not anti-feminist, but I don’t see how these ads can be taken any other way…
This blog has too rarely been a place where I have expressed my views on things other than fashion. After a lengthy hiatus, during which time Virgin Media has failed me, and I have failed my readers, I am back, with the following question:
Where are all the women?
Forbes’ list of the 100 Most Powerful Women was published a couple of days ago, and yesterday I finally had the wifi to study it. The list, which ought to be a celebration of the rising number of women in power, was more disappointing that cheering.
Firstly, where are all the BRITISH women? Of course Forbes is likely to have a strong US bias, and it is unmistakably at work here, however, there is only ONE woman on the lift from the UK. Predictably, HRH Queen Elizabeth. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the Queen a lot. But I’m sure she’d be the first to acknowledge the fact that she’s far from self-made, she got to where she is by being born. There are also some ex-patriots, such as Anna Wintour, who is probably an American citizen by now, but who was once a daughter of Albion. There are also those functioning within the UK, such as Angela Ahrendts the CEO of Burberry.However, there are exactly ZERO examples of women from the UK gaining power from their work. I won’t go into the make up of the list, which (alarmingly) places the Speaker of the House BELOW Lady Gaga and Beyonce…
Secondly, Forbes’ list of the 400 Richest Americans, they acknowledge, is only 11% women, and the majority of those have inherited their money. Only four were ‘self-made’.
President Obama addressed some of the issues facing women in business when he addressed the summit for the Fortune Most Powerful Women, which interesting includes a difficulty to raise capital. Unfortunately, he chooses the adjectives “tall, good lookin’ and strong willed” to describe his wife and daughters. Now, I am a stickler for rhetoric, but, really? He couldn’t have come up with anything better? “Smart”? “Driven”? “Impressive”? Because, “tall” and “good lookin’” are two things they had nothing to do with (and he had everything to do with, in the case of his kids).
Now, these last two paragraphs have been US-based. Sure, Ed Miliband yesterday named several women in his new cabinet, but I am adamant: it should not be usual that there are women qualified for these posts. I don’t think it’s solely the fault of a patriarchal society that women too rarely reach these positions of power. There needs to exist an ambition within my generation of women to reach our full potential in the workforce, to break the glass ceiling where it still exists, and to prove ourselves EQUAL to men in ambition, work ethic and, eventually, power. It isn’t the fault of men, if women aren’t willing to try. And this message, it seems, needs to reach the women of the United Kingdom, because we, as a group of women, are embarrassingly underrepresented on the international stage.
I had dinner with Cari Rosen a few weeks ago, and I’ve never laughed so hard. Her tweets are equally hilarious. Her book, therefore, is guaranteed to be a riot. That, coupled with the fact that she’s writing on one of the hottest women’s issues of the moment makes this an absolute must-read… Pre-order it on Amazon today!
Today I bought a book by Natasha Walter, which is exploring the sexualization of women, in a world where women have more civil, political and economical rights than ever. I'm only eight pages in, so far, but I then saw this spread in Tank, and saw 'The Living Doll' more clearly than ever. Walter explores how young girls, still children, are sexualized, and how the ideal woman becomes more and more doll-like. An unobtainable image of female perfection. And look at these pictures! Girls lining up to be weighed! Their waists are measured, and they're bound and tied, while mostly naked! Is this supposed to be clever?
On a related note, Christina Aguilera's new video, along with Lady Gaga's new video, and several other recent releases, all show extreme sexual scenarios, almost abusive, and latex and pleather are abound. Both of these performers have a young female fan base, so what are they trying to do? Is it empowering? I don’t think so. Instead, it says that women are sexual objects, at best, and at worst aren’t even human -- they’re glorified sex dolls.
At the same time, there's Julian MacDonald saying that plus-sized models have no place in the fashion world. He seems to imply that because he has had a line at Debenhams, he is the voice of authority in the fashion world. Well, Mr MacDonald, it is not the plus-sized models that need to move on, it is you. Open your mind, and move with the times, or be left behind to stitch sub-par couture on your sad little Singer.
I’m sure as I read Walter’s book, I will have more to say, and will express my thoughts more succinctly. For now, though, I simply have to ask, what is going on?
I’ve never loved Lily Cole. Not only because she’s a model AND a Cambridge undergrad, but because her shoots never wowed me.
Well, Carter Smith – W. O. W.
Lily Cole is not really what’s great about this shoot, and if you look at Smith’s other works you see why. He seems able to capture dream-like images, showing woman as sexy, fantastical creatures – whether Britney Spears or Giselle, the effect is always the same in my mind’s eye. It’s picture-Lust, the feeling of being transported into earth, warm daydreams…
And some of his images are infamous. The Jessica Alba cover, which, to any fan of The City, was the catalyst of Olivia’s taking credit for Whitney’s work. Also, the recent spread of Miley in Elle which caused some controversy for being over-sexed, and the Britney spread with her sons…
Needless to say, I’m totally obsessed now… Carter Smith, I’ve got my eye on you…
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