Mumsnet Talk

Times link if you can get through the paywall
free Daily Mail link

Apparently feminists are shouty. We should enjoy being "looked after" and gently persuade our menfolk with our feminine wiles to do what we want. It's alright if you're surrounded by well-meaning malleable blokes.

No mention of equal pay, equal voting rights, equal employment opportunities, freedom from sexual discrimination or harrassment, etc. No - all you need to do, is "persuade them [men] gently to do things and, of course, when they come back they say, “Oh, wasn’t that fun?” Try telling that to victims of domestic violence Mary...

Lol, MB is one scary laydee. In every sense of the word. Jesus. She doesn't want any of these equal rights apparently

She is misguided of course and clearly comes from the Delia school of feminism (I had a thread about one of her less well thought out remarks in a Womens hour interview). I bet she didn't become a well known and respected Chef/ food writer/ TV personality, simply by drifting around being 'nice' to men. She must have focus, ambition and a much more forceful personality than that opinion suggests - so add disingenuous to the critique.

I think either she's a bit confused as to what feminism actually is or the journalist as cherry picked what she said to make a good story.

It's possible she has been quoted out of context a bit valium but she does make utterances such as: "‘Feminism is a dirty word" and "I'm not a Feminist".

Mary's obviously lived a very charmed life, if she's never been the victim of discrimination of some sort.

Oh, it seems she knows masses about flour and nothing about feminism.

bigmouth please could you link to your thread about Delia if you have a spare minute?

oh FFS she is a different generation, she knows my great aunt! nuff said

Oh Gawd, why did I click on the mail link and then read the comments

That lesson should have been learnt long ago

Why should it matter if she is from a different generation even if she does know a MNer's great-aunt. She still has a brain and powers of perception, surely. And her generation was heavily involved in the fight for equality.

Not sure about that mardy- she says went back to work a matter of weeks after each kid was born as knew that job wouldn't be kept open.

I found her words odd as her life and general attitude , although she is of a generation, are very much about being able to live as fulfilling a life as possible.

Why did you ruin Mary Berry for me OP [sticks head back in the sand]

I see she has no understanding of the word/what it means, I get she is from another generation...

but she would have been very much around when women were trying to get things equalized in many ways.

Its nothing to do having a door help open

She is only in her 70's. She would have been a young women in the 60s, like my Mum.

Sorry Solid. I'm disappointed in her too.

*held open

Also Mardy i love your username

fromparis she is of my Mum's generation, in fact slightly younger. My mum would be horrified about her comments. In fact my mum taught Home Economics for years. She is like a reverse MB

Thanks Solid

Funnys My dad's about her age and not the most liberal of blokes, but will admit that the "women's libbers" have got a point.

I nearly died then. I thought I read Mary Beard.

After all the sticking up for her I have done this week as well.

PS Mary Berry, your "can't go wrong chocolate cake" is no such thing.

Why is anyone asking this woman for her views on feminism ?

Me too ariwl on the berry/beard thing

Because she makes nice cakes, apparently, AnyFucker

Sorry about the confusion. La Beard seems to have all her feminist credentials in tact.