Jill Tweedie 1936-1993 was one of Britain’s foremost feminist commentators and her article feminists and the right to be ugly – written and published february 1970 – was an article I found witty and deeply honest; she talks about her up-bringing being vanity banished as her father supposed she “looked better than a slap on the belly with a wet fish, or she may pass with a push in crowd with the light behind her” – harsh words for a young girl! presenting herself to a model agency she was told to go away, get her hair done, manicure her nails, iron her clothes and then come back, something of which obviously she didn’t do. i found after reading this article that its not a one way or a two way street for women and there vanity- bother or don’t- its road works and traffic. Something I picked up on in the article is, for example, you meet a guy and he tells you look beautiful, but what you want him to say is “oh you’re so clever, and smart i love talking to you”. You meet a guy and he tells you he loves you for your mind and your furious he didn’t realize you had bought a new dress and done your hair. the media has got so out of hand with representing women on how you should look with all these super skinny models and pouty celebrities you lose yourself.
“As far as I am concerned, a natural slut can languish unwashed, hairy, germy and odorous, if that’s the way she wants it, and other people should grin and bear it from her at least as much as they would her male equivalent… Many men are a good deal more interesting proving their masculinity to other men than they are in the women herself and the need to feel sure their choice is applauded by other men too.”
Jade Hylton 