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A ‘Point Of View’

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allenlondon | 10:52 Sun 29th Nov 2020 | Film, Media & TV
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Bernardine Evaristo on today’s BBC R4 ‘Point of view’ :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ptc9

I like her writing, mostly I like her views, but not today.

She talks about women’s bodies and society’s attitudes to them. But her conclusions go astray, in my opinion. She does not criticise women wearing ‘sexy’ clothes or make-up, only that models for this sort of costume are habitually thin!

This jumps the gun. The first question must be “should women (or men) have to titillate themselves, to decorate their faces and bodies for whatever reason?” I know women who have never worn make-up, who have never worn revealing clothes - normal women, in other words.

Evaristo seems to have thrown in her lot with the ‘can’t beat them so join them’ stream of feminist consciousness, which is a great shame.
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Yes mamya, Aunt Polly.

But I think the essential thing is CHOICE. Young women back in the 60s and 70s seemed to have very little choice in the matter - you wore make-up, you wore these or those sort of clothes, you did this or that sort of job, and so on. That was what we (my sisters and me) were fighting against.

And the problem I found with Evaristo's line was that it sounded as if it had been written in 1969! Surely 50 years of feminist thought has moved us on just a bit from those days?

Normal or not, I don't know, and probably the wrong adjective. But the argument about adorning one's face or body has not been resolved, and needs constant airing, apparently!

A
Yes dear, do what Allen tells you, there's a good girl.

'shakes head and toddles off to look up ad for This Is What A Feminist Looks Like tshirt'

I was always an individual in the 60s and 70s maybe because of my upbringing, I don't know.

Some of my friends were slaves to trends and fashions, I often bucked them to be different.
Question Author
Back in the day, douglas, we all had points of view, women and men. The only ones we rejected out of hand were from idiots. Plus ca change, eh?
allen you are treading on dangerous ground here as women are complex creatures.
AB is extremely lucky in having someone like me who has studied and appreciated that part of humanity known as women.
Being handsome and rich has helped as I have been hugely successful with women and they have adored me, but I am still willing to learn.
This is a complex subject and I will try and precis it.

//////AuntPollyGreyAllen I think you will find most 'normal' women enjoy wearing nice clothes and makeup and do it to make themselves feel good, not others.//////

I partly agree with APG, most women do use make up to feel good and confident.
Many women do so for added attraction to the opposite sex and some women feel that nothing will are them feel confident or indeed attractive to the opposite sex and they are probably right and their only hope is to find an unattractive man.
Mrs sqad would not go anywhere without make up and suitably clothed and I have known her change to the bins or go for a walk.She is still confident, attractive woman who uses facial adornment judiciously.
Maybe Allen lives in a Nunnery
Women who slop around in trackies with no makeup have the right to do so without being criticised. However, women who like to wear smart clothes and makeup should be given the same support, not treated as narcistic or self-obsessed. 'Feminists' often embrace the former and condemn the latter as frivolous behaviour aimed at attracting men.
sqad wins the internet today.
More seriously, there are now websites like Simply Be which offer fashion clothes in larger sizes and I wish that there were more.
oh no! I agree with APG!
PS I am not a feminist either and never have been. I am a peopleist.
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Lummy. Ah well, unlike some round here, I know when I’m licked.

Not sure about the nunnery crack, mind. We certainly lived in the real world, me and my sisters, and came across many sqads, and quite a few women who would never dream of being ‘feminists’. I see 50 years hasn’t won all the battles.
I suspect you did mean titivate as you continued with "...to decorate their faces and bodies for whatever reason...", whereas your copied definition of titillate is far more specific.

I have listened to the link, all 9 mins 48 seconds of it, and see the comments made as fair enough. She has sought to kick over the traces of what is deemed by some to be the only acceptable, desired female form (which I would call tosh and nonsense, but who would be interested in my pov?)

Nothing wrong with this broadcast, imo. What would Botticelli's Birth of Venus have looked like without the female curves? I do so agree with the remark about bottles of sherry though - unless it is for a really good trifle.
i don't care what others think and i dare anyone to define normal women
Evaristo has obviously never looked at the many many web-sites promoting 'plus size' clothing. They even have plus sized models on the couture catwalks these days.

https://www.annascholz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/project-runway.jpg
Question Author
a) that you don’t care what others think, emmie, is a non-starter.

b) I suspect from your comment, Aunt Polly, that you haven’t listened to the broadcast.
you think i take any notice of what you or others on Ab think.
Question Author
No emmie! Not in the least... but it does indicate a certain closed mind, I fear, which leads the more curious amongst us to ignore your posts!

A
you just like the sound of your own voice, you don't much care whether one has a valid view point or not.
Question Author
No, emmie. I don’t like bullies, I don’t like big mouths, and I don’t get pushed around. I thought you’d have cottoned-on to that by now.

But if having the last word pleases you, be my guest....
// what would be an "invalid" point of view?//
oh I love challenges said Alice
no actually she said riddle but what the hell this is AB

"this point of view is not valid" - works innit
if the pov is valid then as stated it "is not valid"
and if it is invalid - then the statement is true and it is valid

ter deaah - you wanted an invalid statement

[basically - make a statement self referential and negate it)

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