THIS week, 100 years since women got the vote, I’ve been thinking about feminism and what it means.
Or, rather, what people seem to think it means.
Recently, Nigel Farage claimed he didn’t even know what the word feminist signifies.
Donald Trump “wouldn’t say” he is a feminist, and Jacob Rees-Mogg said, “To call a man a feminist is ridiculous”.
It’s not just men distancing themselves — it’s women too.
I was genuinely shocked to find that there is a campaign called Women Against Feminism.
And various very successful women — Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to name but three — are on record saying that they are not feminists.
But ask anyone in their right mind if they believe in equality and the answer will surely be yes.
Why do so many people want to distance themselves from the dreaded F word, when what feminism is about is social, economic and political equality between the sexes?
Somehow the word has come to be associated with raging, men-hating, bra-burning women — no doubt with hairy armpits.
As we remember the sacrifices of the suffragettes, there’s no better time to take back the F word.
Let’s re-brand it, or at least clarify why it’s important that we should all be feminists.
The myth that all feminists hate men is probably the most damaging and far from the truth.
I mean, some of my best friends are men — I’m married to one.
It’s just that I want to be their equal.
Very often it seems to be younger women who are keen to distance themselves from feminism.
But whenever I meet a girl who tells me that she’s not a feminist I ask her how she’d feel if she got less pocket money than her brother, purely because she is a girl.
Turns out that’s a good way to focus the mind.
The myth that all feminists hate men is probably the most damaging and far from the truth
But I guess it is easier for young people to take our current freedoms for granted.
Perhaps they just know less about the price so many women paid to get us where we are today.
The brutal force-feeding of the suffragettes on hunger strike in jail is the ultimate example of that.
Yes, we have come a long, long way since then. But there is still a long way to go.
Just look at the current reports about unequal pay at Tesco, Asda, and the BBC.
Women are still over-sexualised, judged first and foremost on their appearance and also valued far too much because of it.
Childcare is still, largely, seen as women’s work.
For a myriad complicated reasons only a fraction of eligible men have taken up the option of shared parental leave.
As we remember the sacrifices of the suffragettes, there’s no better time to take back the F word
Many people have archaic views about men’s and women’s work. Bricklayer, astronaut, CEO are all too often seen as men’s work.
And an eyebrow is too often raised at men who stay at home to raise the children, or choose nursing or other “caring” professions.
On the upside, if a young girl wants to play football, she can play in an elite team.
That certainly wasn’t the case when I was young.
(Although what needs to happen now, of course, is for her to be paid as much as her male counterparts).
In 1993, when I took over Birmingham Football Club, inset, women were banned from the boardroom.
Now, I am proud to serve as a role model for women in business, and a reminder that you can do what you want — and that you can refuse to be told you can’t.
But, believe me, I’ve fought some battles to get where I am today.
And to say we don’t need feminism because men and women are now equal is simply absurd.
The bottom line is that every man and woman should be proud to call themselves a feminist.
Because, if you believe in equality, whether you like it or not, that’s what you are!
Tort-illa clueless
DID anyone else wonder if it was April Fool’s Day when they heard Doritos is creating a crisp just for women – who don’t like licking their fingers or crunching loudly in front of men, don’t you know?
Well no, actually, I didn’t know. I hope I’m not alone in saying it hasn’t ever so much as crossed my mind what a man thinks of the way I eat crisps, because I’m usually too busy enjoying the crisps.
But this new product is the best reminder of the way that much marketing, advertising and branding that’s aimed specifically at women works.
First, shine a light on a terrible problem we didn’t know we had.
Next, create an insecurity about that problem – at the same time as providing a product-based solution.
I mean, how else did it occur to you that you need a deodorant to make your underarms smooth?
Or a rosemary water drink to make you look younger?
Or any number of wrinkle or under-eye creams . . . or a designer vagina, come to that?
It hasn’t ever so much as crossed my mind what a man thinks of the way I eat crisps
The thing that annoys me most about this kind of advertising is that it encourages women to become preoccupied with their shortcomings – and how to fix them.
Meanwhile, men are busy taking over the world and getting double what we do in the process.
All I can say is this: Ladies, step away from the Doritos and go and do something more interesting instead.
The girls Spiced up our lives
I WAS never a huge Spice Girls fan – somehow they passed me by.
But what I do know is that they inspired a whole nation of girls and young women to feel good about themselves and to believe in their own power.
Now they are women, not girls, and some of them have daughters of their own.
They’ve all gone off and done their own thing and now they’re trying their hand at getting the band back together.
It’s easy to be cynical about reunions but all I think is: Good luck to them.
And here’s hoping they inspire a whole new generation of women.
Everything in moderation
ANOTHER day, another health news story that doughnuts, whisky and chocolate are actually good for you.
But let’s not all go out and indulge ourselves senseless. We all know that tomorrow there will be another story saying the exact opposite.
So I’ve got a better approach. In fact, I might even write a diet manual.
The problem is that it would only be three words long: “Everything in moderation.”
Doing it for the kids
WHATEVER you think of Katie Price, you have to admire her campaign to protect her 15-year-old son Harvey, who is blind and has other health problems, from the vile online abuse he is subjected to.
She wants online trolling to be a criminal offence, in what she’s dubbed Harvey’s Law.
Personally, as a mother and a campaigner for change I feel very proud of her – I hope she feels proud of herself.
Hard not to respect her for this and the bottom line is, she’s right. Laws need changing in relation to digital media.
Kim Yo Jung
WHEN in doubt, bring in a woman. Kim Jong-un’s sister has landed in South Korea as part of a high level
diplomatic delegation coinciding with the Winter Olympics.
This makes her the first member of the North’s ruling dynasty to set foot in the South since the Korean War.
It’s a hugely significant move and I’m pretty sure that the sister will improve the two countries’ relationship.
After all, she is a woman not an egotistical man.
Britney Spears
FULL respect this week to Britney Spears.
When you think about all the troubles she had a few years back, well, things could clearly have gone one way or the other.
But it looks as if she has really turned her life around and taken charge of her body and mind.
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She is a fit and healthy woman, working hard – and it shows, right.
I guess it helps to find out what your body can achieve if you put in the hard work.
My respect is magnified by the fact that I dusted off my gym membership and went once in January – then could not walk for four days.
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