From Miss UK to Jimmy Savile

I just watched 'Wonderland' on BBC2 all about ladies who were once beauty queens of the 1970's and 80's - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008tj5q - it was truly shocking, but explains a lot about where we are today...

As one girl walked across the screen the TV announcer described her swimsuit as "that provocative little item she is nearly wearing..." FFS, that was on NATIONAL TV!

Another compére asked a girl what she wanted to be and she said 'a bank manageress' his response "Really? Do we have such things as bank manageresses" he went on to ask "surely the men would be put out that you girls are muscling in..." never mind the arcane use of 'manageress', the whole attitude is shocking - and he was able to say it openly on national TV... That was 1982 I think - I was 10! I was alive when such  was the norm and accepted on the telly, every year for Miss England, Miss UK and Miss World.

What was most shocking was that, at the time, no one seemed to notice this misogynistic bent to our nations entertainment - no one thought it was belittling and wrong. No one shouted 'No! Stop! you can't treat girls like that!' and there in lies a stark reminder of a current news story. 

The accusations about Jimmy Savile and other radio and TV presenters from that era abusing young women are making headlines and the talk of rumors and gossip abounding, but no one doing anything about it, is the sickening sub-story to it all.

The blasé attitude of (it would seem) the entire nation to the objectification of young women allowed barely clad girls to parade across our TV screens and our TV listings magazines, declaring their life ambition to work with children or animals (heaven forbid they would want to be manageress of a Bank!) and to marry someone famous.

This total lack of realisation that this was not right, added to the casual attitude, described brilliantly by Katy Brand here (http://t.co/cag1lBbQ) in the Telegraph, of those involved in the world of entertainment to young females at the time - even those who have since the 1980's made a living out of 'good works' for children for goodness sake - makes my blood boil.

If all of this does nothing else, I hope it makes people realise that such images and events are not 'OK' and that they never were. That some one has to say' No! Stop! we can't let this go on' - because go on it does... 






The last vestige of this era that still pollutes our national consciousness  is Page 3 in the Sun newspaper - so come on lets have No More Page 3 - join the dots, see the light and sign the petition - I just have: https://www.facebook.com/NoMorePage3