Megan Fox, rising Hollywood starlet: “I think all the women in Hollywood are known as sex symbols. That’s what our purpose is in this business. You’re merchandise, you’re a product. You’re sold and it’s based in sex. But that’s OK. I think women should be empowered by it, not degraded.”
What happened to intelligence, talent, hard work, entrepreneurial spirit and personality? Women don’t help themselves sometimes.
Lucy Jenkins
I was furious to read in the papers that several female Cambridge University students have stripped off to pose in their underwear, apparently in order to start a debate on feminism.
What? Can you hear yourselves? The very fact that you feel that in order to have an intelligent debate on the “sexist” nature of Cambridge University culture, you have to do it in your underwear as otherwise no one will listen to you shows that the debate has been lost already.
Surely by having a mature debate and showing the dons that you are quite able to argue your case without resorting to such ridiculous and demeaning tactics gives far more credence to the cause and far more hope that other female students will follow your lead. Attention-grabbing stunts like this help none of us in the end!
Julia Hayhurst
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I work out at a gym that’s very weightlifting and body-building focused. It’s obviously not the most feminine place to go, but I’m one of seven or eight regular female attendees. One of the women who goes there is a Commonwealth champion weightlifter.
One of the other ladies and I asked the coach if we could add some pictures of female strength athletes to the wall of pictures that the men use as inspiration. A male lifter standing near by immediately said, “Only if they’re naked”.
Laura Porter
I was thankful to see that you were drawing attention to the very large issue of sexism. That was until I turned to the share pages of The Times, as I do every day, to be greeted with an advert for The Windmill, London’s “Gentlemen’s” Club, boasting of the venue’s “100 glamourous fully nude dancers”. Is The Times suggesting by placing this advert in the share pages that women have no interest in following the stocks and shares of the world’s markets?
Alexandra Gray de Walden
I really resent Yorkie’s “It’s not for girls” marketing campaign. It is very sexist and just plain wrong. How dare they presume that women cannot eat large bars of chocolate? I eat more than any man I know.
Sarah, London
Have you seen an example of sexism that has left you fuming? E-mail it, with a picture if relevant, adding where you saw it and why it made you angry, to babewatch@ thetimes.co.uk