Beware the "Angry Anti-Feminist Army"

As I mentioned in my last post Feminism - Needs a make over I have quite a few friends and acquaintances who are quite shocked to learn I'm a feminist.


Remarking with absolute horror "Oh lord, you're not one of those are you?!"

Because that's what we should aspire to!

When I reiterate that yes I am erm....'one of those' and proud of it , I'm either met with ridicule or a barrage of insults about how I can't be a feminist because I wear make up and dye my hair.

This puzzles me as I try not to be friends with complete idiots who would have such a stereo-typical views on any other subject.... so why does this only happen when it comes to feminism?

Why do the public at large mock and trivialise being a feminist?

The thing is I'm not a militant or scary feminist either, I'm like a user friendly feminist I don't hate all men and want to chop their knobs off and can chat for hours about Joe Malone candles. But I still get the OMG! response from both women and me, which baffles me...

In following and participating in women's issues online I have been amazed by the amount of bile and vitriol flung at feminist or just generally women's way.

This may sound naive to the more experienced and I always knew that criticism of feminism and women's rights existed. However, I foolishly believed it existed in some unenlightened-by gone era and all that was left was an ageing minority who were nearing expiry. It seems they're not though, the anti-feminist army are alive and kicking with renewed venom and vigour.

There's seems to be a mixed-bag of often bright, educated, socially mobile, often liberal young men and women, who seem to feel a disproportionate amount of anger towards women and any attempts at modern female equality. 

Neither can I! 

When I've asked male and female friends why feminism doesn't appeal to them they often say it's because feminist are 'militant' and 'angry' which is a common feminist stereotype. 

However, ironically it seems to me that the mainstream anger and venom out there doesn't come from the mythical 'angry feminists' at all, it actually comes from angry non-feminists.

Follow any women issues in the mainstream press like Huff post, DM, or the Guardian  (don't even look at some Reddit threads they're heinous) and notice the tone of comments that any article tackling women's issue and/or equality generate.

In particular, recent campaigns such as Lucy-Ann Holmes No More Page 3 or Laura Bates's Every Day Sexism, the Assainge 'rape' semantics or in the Anita Sarkeesin case. The writers of these article's and founders of the groups are harangued by the most awful, irrational, illogical, sexist discourse that simply makes me despair at humanity.

Laura Bates was getting hundreds of hate emails a day and even death threats for setting up the Everyday Sexism project. With comments such as "It's your choice to say No, it's my choice to Rape you"....now many will scoff and say "Oh that's just trolls take no notice" but I think that's sweeping the issue under the carpet.


The recent uproar over the sale of the vile "Keep Clam and Rape Her" and other female only hate T-shirts on Amazon is yet another example of this. Lee Chambers writes a good article about this in the Huff and again read the comments left by users actually blaming 'the feminists' for this!

I've even had abuse on the Huff post myself when I've left reasonable comments supporting No More Page 3 and Everyday Sexism project so much so that I wonder if I should even bother commenting as dealing with the abuse is exhausting. Then I'm torn between not wanting the vile voices to win by silencing me just because they shouted louder and bullied me out of the debate.

A recent article in the Guardian by Kira Cochrane, covered a report looking at sexism in the media proved this further. The report named Just the Women  (the name is a reference to the now famous comment from Newsnight editor Peter Rippon that the show's Jimmy Savile investigation needed more work, as the sources were "just the women") is by four women groups Eaves, End Violence Against Women (Evaw), Equality Now and Object. The report was an extensive study of female representation in the media. 

The Guardian article states that;

"Some of the findings were that when reporting crimes against women, there was a tendency to trivialise the event, and to empathise with the perpetrator, "by eulogising their achievements, and highlighting their careers, their celebrity, and their supposed respectability". In coverage of female politicians, there was a tendency to mock them. And, of course, there are all those images highlighted by the Page 3 protest."

Now, if anyone ever wants evidence that the report is true and the sexism is still rife in our society, they need only read the comments left in response to the article and this is from the readership of a supposedly liberal publication.

I am constantly astonished by the hate filled comments that any article about female equality unearth. 

That the Just the Women report picked up on the coverage of crimes against women and female politics is interesting as I've noticed this too. I've been observing the whole Louise Mensch episode play out in the press with a hawk eye. 

Now whether you agree with her politically or not is beside the point, it seems to me Louise gets more than the average abuse directed towards MP's and I don't think it's solely down to her political opinions or competency as a MP. Again, agree with her or not she's no doubt an intelligent, impassioned debater and articulate speaker. So why before she resigned did she cause such a tsunami of hatred?? So much so her life and the lives of her children where threatened?! 

Tanya Gold did a great article in Stylist magazine looking at this in more details entitled Why is so much junk thrown at female politicians

Louise Mensch, didn't deserve the type and amount of abuse flung at her and threats to murder her children, seriously it's just insane. I can't think of a male MP having similar happen to them, no wonder she's quit politics for a quiet life in New York to be with her family who can blame her.

Louise Mensch and Frank Zimmerman who threatened to kill her children

I used to analyse comments readers would leave to any articles about Mensch and in contrast to the puerile hatred were the ones that totally dismissed her as a politician. Ignoring anything she said and merely focused on her  looks.

What I found interesting with Mensch is the affect the dynamic of her being 'attractive' created to the usual criticism of female MP's.

If one compares it to the shouting down of Claire Short when she tried to end page 3 in the 80's she was ridiculed and told that it was because she was 'unattractive' herself that she had a problem with page 3.

This attitude still holds today, I argued in favour of No More Page 3 on the Huff and got people telling me I must be 'ugly and jealous' or 'have rubbish tits' or why else would I be against page 3.It's a sexist tactic used to shut women down.

What I noticed about the Mensch case was the flip side, people would use her being attractive to try and shut her down, by commenting only on how she looked rather than the content of what she was saying. "Don't care she's hot" for example or "When she going to do a shoot in lads mags" or "I'd do her". 

It seems you can't win - being attractive or deemed unattractive as a woman in politics your looks will always be used against you and it's not happening to the men. Articles about David Cameron don't have a barrage of comments about how shagable or not he is, they focus on his actions and words. 

And people wonder why more women aren't attracted to a career in politics. 

It's not just female politicians either it's women in the public sphere the same with Mary Beard every time she voices an opinion she gets trolled for being old and ugly. She's an academic historian for god's sake what bearing have her looks got on that fact!

Men are noticing and weighing in on this subject to, thank goodness and making efforts to support feminist campaigns.

Blogger David Wong has written a really excellent post 5 Ways Modern Men Are Trained to Hate Women, in it he notes this mainstream misogyny in events such as the Sandra Fluke incident. Sandra Fluke being the America student who was campaign for free contraceptives.

"For instance, on crazy political message board FreeRepublic.com, posters referred to the girl in the above-referenced story (Sandra Fluke) as a "Nasty, disease-ridden plodding uterus, an utter skank crack-ho filthy whore, a prostitute slutbag juice-receptacle" and a "Sperm-burpin' gutter slut," and said she "... is so encrusted and used, that I had to throw out my flat-panel TV because her appearance on my TV infected it with AIDS, gonorrhea and syphilis." There are many, many more worse comments collected here and here and here.

Now go to the front page of any mostly male discussion site like Reddit.com and see how many inches you can browse before finding several thousand men bemoaning how all women are gold-digging whores (7,500 upvotes) and how crazy and irrational women are (9,659 upvotes) and how horrible and gross and fat women are (4,000 upvotes). Or browse the "Men's Rights" section and see weird fantasies about alpha males defeating all the hot women who try to control them with their vaginas. "

I was even more shocked to find a book entitled Feminsim: The Ugly Truth by some delusional hack named Mike Buchanan, in Amazon. Just look at the cover and he claims 'the Feminists' demonise men?!
I've not linked to it directly because I don't want improve it's search results on Google.

I can't believe Barnes & Noble would published it. Again it's not the criticism of feminism that bothers me as there are many valid academic books genuinely challenging feminism, but this is just a hate manual.

The book claims it "provides long-awaited answers to over 50 of the most challenging questions in the modern era including:

1. Are you a misogynist if you only hate radical feminists?
2. What is feminism in the modern era?
3. How do radical feminists view the world?
4. Why do men have nipples?
5. Why are fat women fat?
6. Are feminists less intelligent than normal women?
7. Are feminists less attractive than normal women?
8. Do feminists suffer more than normal women with PPS (Permanent Premenstrual Syndrome)?
9. Who - or what - are manginas?
10. Why do feminists deny the different natures of men and women?
11. Why must taxpayers stop financing Women's Studies and Gender Studies courses?
12. What are the big fat feminist fantasies, lies, delusions and myths? "


Seriously, his critique of feminism and what he sates are 'the most challenging questions in the modern era' include - Why are fat women fat? Are feminists less intelligent than normal women? Are feminists less attractive than normal women? Do feminist have worst periods?!!!!!!!! 

Now just imagine for a second if a woman had written a book like that about men, the angry anti-feminist army would form a twitter mob and lynch her. And when I complain about this book I'm sure I'll be told I have 'no sense of humour.'

What totally scares the shit out of me is the thought that these people are not some niche group of nutters, trolls, strangers and people we don't know. They are everywhere and could well be our family, friends, colleagues and peers, who are secretly harbouring all this closet hatred against feminists and women.

And here I am trying to break stereotypes and aiming to provide a moderate and more friendly face to  feminism, afraid of being thought of as an 'angry feminist' in case people think I'm militant!

When such prolific mainstream misogyny is going on daily it actually makes me want to become angry and militant...

*matches off to shave head and dig out the Doc martins*.

Feminism - Needs a make over

We need to make Feminism cool again!

A recent Huff post debate between Brogan Driscoll and Lucy Sherriff entitled Is Feminism Irrelevant For Women In Their Twenties? has been playing on my mind, a lot. 

Lucy Sherif opens her argument by stating that;

"As much as I hate to admit, this is still a man's world. But I don't think feminism is going to change it. Mention the f-word to many men, and indeed a fair few females, and watch their eyes roll. It's no longer a dirty word, it's the punchline of a joke."

As much as I hate to admit, on the second part regarding the main-stream trivialisation of feminism she has a point. However, my heart breaks at her fatalist opening statement;

"I don't think feminism is going to change it" 

Feminism used to be cool

She is - ironically sitting there a professional writer, educated, independent, paid (hopefully) the same as her male peers, with access to contraception, able to vote, own property, entitled to her inheritance and by law to equal opportunities in most area's of life. However, Lucy seems unable to connect the dots that feminism already 'has' changed it for her, for the better, women who came before did that for us, and now it it's our turn.

My retort to Lucy is a Kennedy-esq;

"Ask not what Feminism can do for you  - but ask what you Lucy Sherrif are doing for Feminism!" 

.......But I digress. 


Lucy continues on the same vein, 

"I don't like being called a feminist. I'm a woman. That's it. Just because I believe women should be equal doesn't mean I want to pick up a placard and protest. In fact, I'm not alone. I hadn't ever considered whether I was or wasn't a feminist until an English Literature lecture in my second year of university My (female, feminist) lecturer asked the 200-strong, mostly-female audience to raise their hands if they considered themselves a feminist. Two people did: the lecturer, and the annoying in-your-face feminist student."  

[*note her descriptions of both feminism and feminist student]

Why didn't Lucy and the other 198(?!) women in her class of presumably bright, educated young women raise their hands?  

Recently at a party I met and was chatting to an amazing bright and progressive minded young woman who was making valid and impassioned points about sexism in western medicine, feminists points in fact. 


However, when closing she eloquently underscored her points by saying; "Of course I don't want to come across like a feminist, because I'm not a feminist"

This statement shocked me.


Why didn't she feel she could say with confidence "Yes, I'm a feminist" and feel proud of that'?

Tracey Emin

I analysed this and rationalised that maybe as we'd just met she didn't want to frighten me in some way, not knowing my own view on feminism yet. 

Did she possibly feel she had to soften her impassioned views in case it came across as to aggressive?.....But what does that say?

Maybe she doesn't feel she can say 'I'm a feminist' with pride or maybe she genuinely doesn't feel she is a feminist, even whilst voicing highly feminist views. It was likely a fear of being instantly presumed militant. 

Is that why modern women are ashamed to be labelled feminists? 

Ryan Gosling the new face of feminism?

Movie star Ryan Gosling doesn't seem to mind on becoming a feminist icon. Due to when he spoke about why Blue Valentine was receiving a harsh rating because of a scene where he performs oral sex on Michelle Williams. 

He pointed out that when a woman performs oral sex on a man in a movie, the ratings board deems that R-worthy, but if the genders are reversed, the rating is stricter.

“ ‘Black Swan’ has an oral scene between two women, and that’s an R rating,” he told the World Entertainment News Network, “but ours is between a husband and his wife, and that’s NC-17?" 



To me this is a great example of what being a feminist means - thinking about equality, how it's treated in our society, questioning things and asking - is that fair?

Unfortunately, I see feminist bashing going on all the time on forums, blog comments and in social media from both men and women, especially as I've been supporting the recent campaigns No More Page 3 and the Everyday Sexism project.  The misconceptions about what being a feminist means astonish me, as does the bile and hatred directed towards feminism.

If ever anyone wants evidence that sexism is still rife, therefore making feminism still very relevant, then read some of the comments left on the No More Page 3 facebook page.

Equally, I am constantly amazed by the hate filled comments that any moderate article about female equality unearth on

Huff post and Guardian. What's interesting is that the anger doesn't come from 'angry feminists' at all. It actually comes from angry non-feminist men and some women

Why are mainstream men and women so angry about feminism?

Why do they feel it threatens them so much?

Subverting stereotypes Asma Gull Hasa

And are such factors are at play in why young women automatically believe feminism is it's a bad thing?

I remember as a adolescent asking an older man what a feminist was and being told;
"Angry, short haired, bra burning, comfortable shoe wearing women, who complain a lot and no-body fancies" he chuckled. 

Ashley Judd

This image is still propagated and feminism needs to break away from it.

We need to create a more diverse and visible modern face of feminism. Whilst individual efforts are being made, they're not really mainstream ready yet. 

I'm more of the Caitlin Moran style feminist myself, happy to stand on a chair and shout;
"I'm a strident feminist"... in my stiletto's of course.

However, this often seems to shock people both men and women.
Again I ponder why this is, why are they so shocked I mean, I'm an opinionated, hard-working, intelligent, modern woman.....Erm...does a bear shit in the woods! 

Of course I'm going to be a feminist!! 

But when I state that openly and shamelessly with a smile, people will remark agog;

Bill Bailey 

"oh lord, you're not really are you?"

Maybe it's because I don't look and sound like the old stereotype of  'a feminist', but what does that mean?

People still want to desperately reinforce that stereotype. As soon as I say I'm feminist people like to jump on me to prove that I can't possibly be.

"No you're not" they will declare in loud voices.....
"You wear make-up, and pretty dresses you can't be a feminist".

Men often like to comment on things such as "You read Grazia, isn't that totally against the feminist agenda you hpycropite!"

Now which feminist agenda might that be exactly?

Maybe that's part of the problem and were the confusion lies, there's no single feminist manifesto, maybe as part of the feminist makeover we should forge one.

Simple enough agenda

I mix in pretty liberal circles, however I'm yet to meet a man who would openly declare himself a feminist either. Why is this? 

Of course the feminist movement hasn't helped itself either over the last two decades and petty, hair splitting and in-fighting is still rife. Whilst I don't think just because I'm a woman I should automatically agree with all other women on all subjects.

Issues like the who's a 'real' feminist and a 'life style' or 'lipstick' feminist still rage on. As does the 'stay at home verses working Mum' debate encouraged in the mainstream media that tirelessly pitches one camp of women against the other, these only serve to fuel the anti-feminist lobby. 

Let's stop taking the bait ladies, both are fine life choices, neither is right or wrong, let's stop wasting our time auguring with each other about the minutia and focus our energies on the greater good.....

Making feminism cool and relevant so that our nieces, daughter's and twenty-something women at large once again aspire to be Feminists.

Barack Obama - pretty famous feminist

I started thinking back to what I thought of feminism when I was in my twenties.

Poisoned by the toxic misogynistic, hip-hop, lads-mags pop-culture of the 90's, I am ashamed to say I can remember, actually sitting in a feminist theory lecture, rolling my eyes and day dreaming about whether I should get a boob job or shave off all my pubic hair. I'd been led to believe that everything was already equal and sorted and wearing a sparkly thong alone mean't I was liberated women in control of her life????!!!!

Unfortunately, for us unenlightened in youth much of your twenties revolved around getting blokes and the message society sends, certainly in the 90's was boys don't like feminists. 

We were led by popular culture to believe feminist are aggressive, unattractive and troublesome and that men don't want that. Instead, what men want is a passive, dolly bird, porn stars who'll let them shag them up the bum. Has much changed today, I wonder? 

Even feminist writer Natasha Walter made this mistake in the 90's stating;

"I once believed that we only had to put in place the conditions for equality for the remnants of old-fashioned sexism in our culture to wither away. I am ready to admit that I was wrong.'

She explores this further in her excellent book Living Dolls - The return of Sexism  - which is in many ways a rebuttle of her own theories in the book The New Feminsm from 1998. In Living Dolls, Walter insightfully explores the impact that legacy has had on our current hyper-sexualised, disempowering culture. 

Like Lucy, in my 20's I didn't see the relevance of feminism or the feminist theory I'd been taught. However it's relevance has played out significantly in practice in my real life.

It wasn't until I got out into the world and tried to forge my own way that I started getting my head around the practical aspects of feminism and how important it was to my everyday life.

Gradually, through real life experience - having been sexually harassed by my male boss in my first job. Then through the years suffering some kind of gender discrimination in every subsequent job, even when changing industries and rising to senior management. 

I've had 20 year old new employees tell me ipso facto on their first day that they were 'alpha males' and shouldn't have to report to a woman, to board members asking me if I was the tea lady just as I was about to start presenting. I've had random strangers on the bus opine that "There's no point in educating women as they 'just have babies', and had to suffer taxi drivers rant how women shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel, whilst simultaneously driving the wrong way up a one way street.

Having to put up with regular groping, name calling and threatening behaviour just by walking down the street, on the tube or in a bar. Always having to work harder, be better, not get emotional, prove myself more than male peers and suffering the disadvantage of not having the golf/football/rugby/ lap dancing club chat as a networking aid.

And now as I face the fact that having a family means I will slip behind my male peers in both future promtions and earnings with each child I have. Whilst feeling like a failure should I need to return to work or choose to be a stay at home Mum. Worried I  won't achieve super-yummy-loose-all-the-baby-weight-launch-my-own-cup-cake-business-Mummy status. 

Whilst, wondering why all girls toys are pink princesses and boys are all blue superhero's and why Rihanna is happy to be such a victim and simulate sex in every music video. 

Feminism suddenly seems to REALLY matter.

Unravelling social constructs and reconciling all the contradictions of what 'being a woman in the modern world means' has often been a confusing journey and still is daily. However,  I'm in a much more comfortable place with myself and my own feminism than I was in my twenties.

In fact there's lots I didn't care about in twenties that is very important to me now. 
For example I didn't give a shite about red wine in my twenties either, Malbec or Rojas who cared, shocking bright red and blue Bacardi breezer's was the drink of the day, the thought of which now makes me want to vom. I acquired a taste for red wine over many years during my late twenties and thirties.

So maybe all is not lost for Lucy Sherriff and her ilk -  maybe Feminism is like red wine the appreciation of which only comes to you in time and with life experience.

No More Page 3 - 2012

So, I'm supporting Lucy-Ann Holmes's campaign No More Page 3, to stop half naked women being shown on the third page of one of the UK's biggest national news papers. 

I can't believe; 

a) that it is the year 2012 and in UK a concept like Page 3 still exists 

b) people are still not only defending Page 3's existence, but actually arguing in favour of it! 

SHOCK - I feel like I've been teleported back to some parallel 1970's universe without the aid of hallucinogenic drugs. 

I kind of figured that everyone had just forgotten that page 3 was so obviously wrong in a modern society and once it was pointed out again everyone would go on mass;

 'Opps - shit, sorry yes we all forgot about page 3 - yes let's get rid of it asap'. 

No it seems you have to get a petition together to try to get anybody in government or the media to even take the request seriously!!

What's more by supporting Lucy's campaign on Facebook and in the press, I've been observing the furious responses and comments the campaign has generated. They've really surprised me, here's a summary of arguments against No More Page 3. 

#1 - If you don't like it, don't buy it! 

How does this argument make any sense? 

It's so pathetically simplistic to say that by not buying a copy of The Sun it will stop me from seeing it or being affected by it's existence. I don't buy arm's on the Iranian black market in either, but that doesn't stop me living in a world being impacted by the scary people who do. 

I have in fact NEVER bought The Sun, so by that logic explain to me how dear sirs, I have been exposed to it since I was a child, and still see it everyday as an adult, on the train or left on canteen tables? I see that as being forced to look at it by you, the people who do buy The Sun! Which is akin to forcing a vegetarian to eat a pork scratching! 

A primary teacher of twenty years recalled to me how they would ask children to bring in old newspapers to cover tables when the children were painting. Of course she'd have to go around and remove all the Page 3 pages, or as the 8 year olds kids apparently called it "The tits page, Miss". 

In some households the only paper they will have is The Sun and kids don't buy news papers, but they still see it, so how does the 'don't buy it' argument apply to children?

I also remember trying to explain the concept of page 3 to my Scandinavian husband, he was disgusted that such a thing could still exists in a modern society - in a national news paper - in the 21st Century. 

His immediate comment was "So children in the UK see it everyday? It made me ashamed that we as a nation don't do more protect our children.

#2 - Stopping Page 3 is against freedom of speech

There are many other countries in the world with long esbatilshed infrastructures and laws championing freedom of speech, but they just don't see fit to have semi-naked women on the third page of their national daily news papers. The rest of Europe in fact, and the USA who pride freedom of speech as a founding constitutional pillar of their society, they don't have page 3.

I mean clam down boys, no-one is saying you can't ever look at boobs again in a print medium!

The campaign is just saying Page 3 has no place in a national daily news paper in a supposedly modern and progressive society. 

I've noticed there seems a certain type of man who uses this argument and who is outraged by the suggestion of getting rid of page 3. He gets incredibly protective over his divine right to access porn (an issue worth more examination in itself). 

The cretinous Liam Mullone who would likely sell his grandma for a cheap gag is of this ilk, stating in his Huff post blog  about No More Page 3. 

"Plumbers have a right to their stiffies, and Danni has a right to supply them.

Therefore, he views any smight against page 3 as the first nail in the coffin towards potentially restricting his human right, as he see's it, as a 'red blooded male' to view porn. 

His definition of freedom of speech, means defending his right to pop into the corner shop and get the latest copy of 'Fisting Weekly', neatly positioned next to the 10p mixes and the cola cubes. 

#3 -  There are worse things going on in the world - get a life or support 'real' eqaulity issues.


In the same article Liam Mullon also sites #3 as his key closing argument. 

" I mean, for fuck's sake, we live in a world where women get TRAFFICKED for sex, in their thousands. Which is one of a million things more worthy of anger than this exhausted white-collar flannel about Page Three." 

Again a juvenile, over simplistic argument. I don't get how people can even make that argument in the case of No More Page 3 and not apply it to every second news story as well. 

There are awful things going on in the word everyday, many of which have campaigns. 

Just because I support one thing, it doesn't follow that I automatically don't support other seemingly 'bigger' issues. 

Besides, I don't actually think Page 3 is a small issue anyway, as it's relative to one's context and beliefs. 

For example, Premiership footballers wage packets is a small issue the way I see it. However, I can't expect the majority of the football supporting public to hold the same view. Many people feel very strongly about this issue which is why they debate it in the media, on forums and on facebook.  

So how does the "There are worse things going on in the world - get a life or can't you support 'real' issue" argument apply to that context?! 

By the same token haven't all those people got better things to care about in the world than footballers pay? Shouldn't they all be campaigning against the atrocities in Syria instead? 

Statements like these that attempt to trivialise a campaign like No More Page 3 are nothing more than pure, old fashioned sexism. 

The author of the new book  Super Man is an Arab - Jomanna Haddad's highlights this same attitude below, as she gets much criticism for her feminist views in her native Lebanon. 

"Some men ask me why I complain so much," she says. "They say to me: 'Well, at least Lebanon isn't Saudi Arabia.' But why say that? Why compare ourselves to worse countries? Why not feel inspired by countries that have gone farther in the fight for women's rights?"

I support many things some big, some small, some medium sized, No More Page 3 is one of them.  

#4 - The page 3 girls who make money from it aren't complaining so  why are you? 

Again the very premise of this argument is flawed, lets try applying the same principle to other scenario's where people get some monetary benefit from an action.

For example - Why ban drugs? Drug addicts and drug dealers aren't complaining! 

No usually it's other people that their decisions have devastating impact on, people who get mugged to pay for a junkies crack, families torn apart by a members battle with addiction. But what's the big deal the junkies and dealers aren't complaining are they!

Why stop bankers bonuses or MP expenses  - they aren't complaining about their big fat bonuses or getting their city flat funded by the tax payer!" 

Just because a person who financially benefits from an action isn't complaining, doesn't mean the thing they are doing is somehow right or ok for other people, now does it. 

My point is that just because some women choose to do something as individuals doesn't then mean that all women should automatically agree with the action and that no other women are negatively impacted by their choice. 

In addition, the issue of why women feel compelled to want to be Page 3 girls is a whole separate subject and something I touch on briefly in previous posts about Katie Price and about women in sports .


# 5 - Page 3 is the least offensive thing about The Sun 

This annoys me because it's an absolutely pointless argument made by people who actually say they don't like The Sun for other reasons anyway?!

So why bother drawing that distinction between different shite things The Sun stands for? Who benefits from that view? No-one. 

Why can't they agree and say "Yes - yet another reason why The Sun is utter rubbish". Then why don't they start a 'Shut Down The Sun' petition and I'll happily sign it. 

However, if you're to lazy to start your own campaign don't piss on someone else's.

What I draw from observing responses to the No More Page 3 campaign is the over whelming sentiment still exists;

"What are you all whining about. We 'let' you have some equality now shut up, case closed!" 

What concern's me the most is these responses aren't from some pre - historic cave man generation, this is not my granddad and his mates in the pub. 

This is modern supposed liberal minded, educated men and women, whom I'm likely to be sitting in the pub with and it scares the shit out of me that they still think this way!

Reading goop - makes me feel like goop

Here's some good news, reading my blog won't make you feel bad, insecure or inadequate. 


This cannot be said of some 'other' blogs...'Mhmmmm'....you know who you are. 


Other news today is, apparently Gwyneth Paltrow has just launched her first item of a new goop clothing line a 'perfect white tee' costing $90 in sizes 0-8. 

I'm getting increasingly fed up with celebrities or self styled 'lifestyle gurus' having blogs that seem to scream at you in husky, pussycatdoll voices;

"Dontcha wish your life was perfect like mine, dontcha wish your thighs were thin like mine, dontcha...."

Now, before I get accused of being jealous and bitchy, let me make clear I am not an irrational 'hater' of Gwynie per sae, or a mean negative type person. 


But, I'm singling out goop anyway for being the poster child for everything that perfect celebrity lifestyles represents. 


Besides, Gwynie once famously told People magazine that:

 "I think the people who are criticizing goop or criticizing the idea of it, don't really get it, because if they did, they would like it"

Erm Gwynie, I think you're totally missing something in understanding peoples criticism of goop. 


In a bid to help you with some constructive feedback, consider this, I 'get' your blog but it makes me feel bad. 

The whole concept of goop-esque blogs annoy me because behind their cheery, pastel façade, lurks a sinister sub-text which goes like this;

• I'm rich, famous and beautiful
• and have two perfect kids
• and have a perfect body
• and great career
• and can afford to do pretty much whatever I want
• and I'm going to tell you all about how great my perfect life is
• and you'll read it and think I'm super great
• and want to be just like me
• and then buy all the products I endorse so I get even richer

Truth is I find it insincere, perpetuating a myth that everything is always sunny in their worlds. 


I'd just like some honesty, not all the time just every now and again. 

I live for the day when goop's monthly newsletter lands in my inbox with the title;

'How to get skid marks out of your husbands pants!'

....Oh but then I remember she's married to the ethereal Chris Martin who probably doesn't do such things.


Yet again making me feel inadequate for being married to a skid mark in pants type man, and not having my pick of rock stars.

I've observed the following - 2 minutes of reading goop and I spiral into fits of inadequacy and self loathing that go like this; 

• My life's crappy
• I'm a bit fat
• I can't afford any of this stuff
• I'm not on the membership council of swanky private members club or ever likely to be 
• I don't have my own line of dresses, underwear, children's clothes or organic cheese...what have I been doing with my life!!
• I married skid marks in pants man!...and he's never written me a best selling song, he's obviously a rubbish husband - I must divorce him immediately!!!! 

After I wallow in the pity party for a while the feelings subside and suddenly I'm over come by a rampant wave of indignation and rage. 


Who is this person that they should make me feel like all my choices are wrong. That I'm underachieving because I'm not 100% perfect and don't have access to a life of privilege. 


I suddenly want to fight for the fact it's OK to have chubby thighs and a skid marks in pants man husband. 

Then (and this is my favourite part) I let myself engage in a wild fantasy whereby, I catch Gwynie coming out of The Arts Club in Mayfair -  filp her the bird and say; 

"Sorry, love but I'm not letting you or any other celeb guru's do this to me..... 

I'm on to you and you won't be getting $425 of this losers hard earned cash for your silly cleanse diet or perfect white tee. So you get richer whilst making me feel like utter shite about my non perfect lot in life!" 

 *High fives self and scuttles away*

Back in reality though, I do realise I am in a minority on this subject, as I read blogs all the time that reference goop as a source of 'great inspiration'. So  I obviously must be the only person on the planet who feels like this. 

Oh well, seeing as goop has millions of users and probably only two people will ever read this post, the sad thing is that Gwynie wins and has the last laugh....

as in life. 

In truth via goop it's Gwynie who is flipping the bird at me and other average, unremarkable people saying, 

“Yup see you're a loser once again!! With your rubbish blog that no-one reads, I'm GREAT and everyone wants to be me! 

Now go use that money you slaved away for, to buy my cleanse diet and bring a splash of me-ness into your tragic, drab, little life!” 

*Swoshes impossibly shinny hair and marches off *