If there was ever a week where I questioned how on earth men are still getting paid more than women, it's this one. Why? Well, because two ruddy faced idiots have had the gall to spurt nonsense about us on a public platform and, to be honest, I now feel like I have to ask the question: when will this stop happening? At what point will well-educated men with a decent degree of intelligence stop being douchebags about women?
Okay, so at the root of this fury are two guys. First, Alex Bilmes (above) - Editor of Esquire - speaking at Advertising Week Europe, said the following:
"The women we feature in the magazine are ornamental. I could lie to you if you want and say we are interested in their brains as well. We are not. They are objectified ... (Esquire) provide pictures of girls in the same way we provide pictures of cool cars. It is ornamental. Women's magazines do the same thing."
Now, everyone's being all like "well, at least he's honest" as if there's some nobility at least in that, but come on people! Honesty doesn't make this OK. No-one's asking him to lie, but it would be super cool if he and his magazine would evolve, do you know what I mean?
Second, Kirk Sneade AKA he-of-campaigning-to-be-women's-officer-at-University-College-London fame. The trouble with Kirk is he's gone about this in such a misogynistic way that myself and most women who don't like being called derogatory names are pretty fed up and more than a little bit frustrated. For example, I want to take the poster tagline of his campaign ("Kirk for female officer - because bitches deserve better") out to the MyDaily carpark and bludgeon it to death with my hairdryer.
This douchebag though is only 23 and still at university so he probably could be saved from himself. If any of the feminist lecturers at UCL had a moment to just take him aside and explain to him the error of his ways, women everywhere would really appreciate it.