Naomi Wolfes Beauty Myth 2019, Edinburgh book festival 2019

The Beauty Myth/ Gender Debate: what is gender in the 21^stcentury. 

Panel; Amelia Abraham, Palko Karasz, Elizabeth Pata, Naomi Wolfe (New York Times debate series) 

Naomi Wolfe, wrote her defining feminist book in Edinburgh in 1990. She said that Scotland is a place that dreams of a better world, re-inventing itself into a better future. 

The feminist Mystic. That images of beauty are used against women in a second wave. Unattainable beauty.  What did she have to say for todays women?  She saw the positives of social media – we are more critical and knowledgeable .  Recently the Times Up and #Metoo movements. 

They also discussed the Digital age: change and positives.

The Arab Spring, when young women at keyboards  liberated women to have a voice and without the internet harder to organise. Find your community.

The Negatives were – the online harassment of female journalist and politicians. Threats to free speech and the means of controlling the population to whip up divisiveness.

Wolfe spoke of her latest book, OutRages. She said there used to be a wider version of masculinity, now men are all in black suits. 

Unfortunately, although the debate had a 90 minute time slot – Elizabeth was confused over what 90 minutes meant, and the one and a half hour should have easily left 30 minutes for a fine debate and interesting feedback from the audience. I felt much of the panels chat was highly idealistic and theoretical. Elizabeth spoke of the language of gender

**My Views

-Fashion and gender neutrality, so both boys and girls have broader choices.

Gender neutral toys – art, sport, play-do, Lego etc. rather than sparkly pink fluff and aggressive war toys. Sadly I was shocked to discover that it is much worse today than it was when my children were young in the 80s. I now shop for my grandson and I am horrified to find the toys and clothes are even more extreme!

-Encourage team sport for young girls much more.

-Paternity leave? My son took paternity leave last year and was surprised to find he was one of the very few men on paternity leave. Many women feel odd about it still, very strangely.  

Why did the journalist Shona Craven raise a complex legal issue over gender, when she might have made a more important point over how she was personally affected by Wolfe’s Beauty Myth as a teenager, but now felt disillusioned over how things have progressed since then. 

Investigative Journalism is crucial

Investigative Journalism is crucial. More than ever in turbulent times it is essential to read competent investigative journalism. 

By contrast there is ‘mass media persuasion’. – which is from ‘Rulers’ who want power and don’t want dissent. Newspapers or tabloids like Daily Mail or Daly Express or Sun are emphatically NOT about presenting balances views (as some older voters believe) and they are controlled by the British establishment. They present only one point of view.

Literature is also about many diverse voices. Excellent article on the importance of the Arts and literature is particular, by Glasgow university professor Alan Riach on the Power of Mass Persuasion. (The National March)

Recently the New York Times and the Washington Post have had a surge in subscribers as Americans seek to find out what is really going on.

The National Newspaper runs Investigative Journalism.

Some may falsely believe the National is only one point of view – it is not! It carries right and left articles, in depth articles by Professors and experienced political journalists.

Channel Four news uses investigative journalist – in recent days they have been interviewing non-politicians and commentators, to look seriously at the issues around Scot Ref and Brexit. Rather than empty Political Rhetoric. They have uncovered Tory over spend in election.

As a direct result of the 2008 economic crash, after which nothing has changed in the UK, people are desperate for change, any kind of change!  The trouble is the far right has taken over arguments with blaming immigrants!   They mix immigrants numbers with people we need here – students, EU workers, and with Refugees.

The best way to have debate is through informed discussion, and NOT by throwing around insults. Politicians need to learn this too and they dont' in Westminster that's for sure!