Just listened to the latest episode of Rob Brydon’s podcast where he interviews his long-term friend Ruth Jones.
I thought this exchange at the start was interesting - they know.
Ruth: “It's a lovely intro. Very, very nice. It always makes me interested when people describe me as an actor, because I think of myself as an actress.
Rob: I am being very politically correct.
Ruth: You are, but I always correct people's political correctness when it comes to describing me as an actress.
Rob: I'd rather say actress. I would naturally say actress.
Ruth: Thank you. And it's funny because sometimes I've been introduced or I've read an introduction to something I've been doing and they've called me an actor. I said, oh no, I'm an actress.
And they go, well, no, it's our policy to call you an actor. I go, I know, but I identify as an actress.
Rob: Once you decide to identify, won't be tied anybody who gets, I identify as five foot 10.
Why is that funny? That's what I'm identifying as. How tall am I, Ruth?
Ruth: Oh, maybe you are five foot 10. Are you?
Rob: No, I'm five foot seven. Maybe five foot six and a half now. But I'm identifying as five foot 10.
So I'll ask you again, how tall am I?
Ruth: You're five foot 10.
Rob: Thank you. We're too old for all this, aren't we?
Ruth: Oh, I don't understand it. Anyway, you can't even talk about not understanding anything, can you? You just have to go, I'm old.
I can't hear very well now. So just leave me out of the conversation. Thank you.”
From Brydon &: Ruth Jones, 13 Jun 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brydon/id1687943454?i=1000658813656
This material may be protected by copyright.
Rob Bryson & Ruth Jones
CaveMum · 14/06/2024 13:26
Brydon &: Ruth Jones on Apple Podcasts
Show Brydon &, Ep Ruth Jones - 12 Jun 2024
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brydon/id1687943454?i=1000658813656
Show more
FleetingSeas · 14/06/2024 13:41
We used to have headmasters or headmistresses
ObliviousCoalmine · 14/06/2024 13:38
And what sex is a headteacher position?
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 14/06/2024 13:37
When I started gardening professionally I advertised myself as a 'Lady Gardener' and had loads of older women get in touch. I knew what sort of customer I wanted and they knew what sort of gardener they wanted. It worked really well.
FleetingSeas · 14/06/2024 13:33
Interesting that you should say that. I've started doing the same!
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Forfuckssaketheearthisnotflat · 14/06/2024 14:11
Totally agree, I hate the fact we are losing actress, hostess, headmistress etc, people think this is great for equality but these terms shouldn’t be considered lesser in the first place and by not using them we are agreeing with that assumption, I don’t want gender neutral or unisex terms for everything it’s like there is no such thing as a woman…….🤔
marciaa · 14/06/2024 14:00
I don't want "neutral". I want headmasters and headmistresses, actresses etc.
Precipice · 14/06/2024 13:36
Headteacher and chairs are neutral terms. Actor is applying the male term for women. It's not the same. The equivalent would be calling a woman a headmaster and a chairman.
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Meadowwild · 14/06/2024 16:38
There was a valid reason for this when it all started. I used to be an actress and you wouldn't believe how many tossers at parties thought that was code for 'I am morally vacant. I have no brain. You may however shag me.' If I introduced myself as an actor they'd hesitate and say 'actor?' and I'd say, 'Yes, mainly Shakespeare' and it just put the brakes on their automatic sexism.
Same with chairwomen - so many snide comments in 1980s 'Women can't cvhair meetings. What if she has her period' etc etc. Say Chair or chair person, and no one has a female to ridicule.
Maybe we have come so far that we can return to specifying the sex. But I won't hold my ladybreath.
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Trixiefirecracker · 14/06/2024 16:33
Be careful with ‘lady gardener’….sounds a bit like a euphemism. 😂
Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 14/06/2024 13:37
When I started gardening professionally I advertised myself as a 'Lady Gardener' and had loads of older women get in touch. I knew what sort of customer I wanted and they knew what sort of gardener they wanted. It worked really well.
FleetingSeas · 14/06/2024 13:33
Interesting that you should say that. I've started doing the same!
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Buffypaws · 14/06/2024 13:33
There were some good ones back in the day. “Jewess” was my favourite.
FancyBiscuitsLevel · 14/06/2024 13:44
sex neutral titles like headteacher are better for women, it doesn’t presume it’s a man’s role. Actor was the male title, so it would be more like using headmaster for both male and female heads, and saying “oh the title is unisex now”.
i suppose “acting professional” could be unisex, is their a unisex title that isn’t something that used to be the male one?
(they never decide we are using one title now and default to the female one, so they?)
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Baaliali · 14/06/2024 18:03
Here is a nice one for you that won’t really surprise some - the main teaching maternity hospitals in Dublin have what they call Masters as the MD roll, some of these in recent years have been female.
FleetingSeas · 14/06/2024 16:55
I think this thread is a nice example of people not necessarily agreeing with each other, and continuing the discussion, offering different points of view.
Would that all discussion could be like this!
Trixiefirecracker · 14/06/2024 16:33
Be careful with ‘lady gardener’….sounds a bit like a euphemism. 😂
Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 14/06/2024 13:37
When I started gardening professionally I advertised myself as a 'Lady Gardener' and had loads of older women get in touch. I knew what sort of customer I wanted and they knew what sort of gardener they wanted. It worked really well.
FleetingSeas · 14/06/2024 13:33
Interesting that you should say that. I've started doing the same!
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
Meadowwild · 14/06/2024 16:38
There was a valid reason for this when it all started. I used to be an actress and you wouldn't believe how many tossers at parties thought that was code for 'I am morally vacant. I have no brain. You may however shag me.' If I introduced myself as an actor they'd hesitate and say 'actor?' and I'd say, 'Yes, mainly Shakespeare' and it just put the brakes on their automatic sexism.
Same with chairwomen - so many snide comments in 1980s 'Women can't cvhair meetings. What if she has her period' etc etc. Say Chair or chair person, and no one has a female to ridicule.
Maybe we have come so far that we can return to specifying the sex. But I won't hold my ladybreath.
marciaa · 14/06/2024 13:31
I think this was the start of all this insidious stuff. Making everyone "actors" "headteachers" "chair person". I've stopped all that and correctly sex the job :)
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