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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To like Kirstie Allsopp?

185 replies

plaingirly · 14/10/2012 13:18

Pretty much all of my friends and colleagues seem to hate her! Something about setting women back 60 years.

I like her - and all the craft stuff. I don't see that she is setting women back or being anti-feminist. Surely feminism is about choice so she is choosing to live the way she does - and has the freedom to do that.

In interviews she always seems pretty straightforward and doesn't hide who she is. She is a bit posh but that is who she is - no point hiding the accent! Maybe I am biased because I love all the crafty homemaking type stuff. (And her clothes.)

"For some women, the wedding-veil canopies, crocheted jellyfish mobiles and calli-graphy place cards in Kirstie?s Vintage Home (more recession-friendly than her previous books and television series, it has tips on how to transform old fabrics and furniture into modern-day treasures) are not only off-message but demeaning. Sally Bercow called one of her shows 'condescending, too-good-to-be-true, middle-class nonsense?.

Allsopp is unflustered by such criticism. 'When people call me a 1950s housewife trying to take us back ? that?s so wrong,? she says. 'I consider myself a feminist. I have the most balanced and equal relationship with my husband. Likewise at work with Phil [Spencer, her 'TV husband? of the past 13 years]. He?s paid the same as me and I expect to get paid the same as any of the men on Channel 4.?"

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9599318/Kirstie-Allsopp-televisions-crafty-lady.html

OP posts:
geegee888 · 14/10/2012 19:25

I find her rather practical. True, shes not interested in the sort of things I'm interested in, but I generally find she is right about things. I liked her comments about paternal leave being mainly useless (about time someone said it), and shes determined, and knows about the property market.

CagneyNLacey · 14/10/2012 19:25

I enjoy the practical, no nonsense, down to earth advice in one of her books. Like 'Dont put an armchair in the bathroom, it will get damp'.

I paraphrase but,well, seriously?.

ClippedPhoenix · 14/10/2012 19:28

I like what I see of her on the screen.

I don't like what I've heard about her where she's apparently almost a stepford wife at home.

I think her dress sense sucks Grin

trice · 14/10/2012 19:47

I get a bit annoyed with her craft program when she has a go at something for about 30 seconds and then gets the expert to finish it.

I wish we had real craft programs on tv with skilled people on them. It would make a change from cooking all the time.

EBDTeacher · 14/10/2012 19:52

Total girl-crush.

She can come and talk sense into me. Grin

Rowanhart · 14/10/2012 20:16

She's one of four Tories I secretly quite like.

The others being Boris, Gary Barlow and Ken Clarke.
Smile

The rest can fook emselves....

catgirl1976 · 14/10/2012 20:23

I do like Boris

He is far cleverer than he makes out

I loved his "Is Dave here?"

LFCisTarkaDahl · 14/10/2012 20:27

I loathe Tories, really properly loathe them.

But I have a secret hankering to turn her. She is warm, funny and intelligent - I KNOW I can turn her.

EllenParsons · 14/10/2012 21:47

I really like her. I always think she comes across as a nice, warm and friendly person. Never thought her sexist tbh and craft is not really my thing but if she likes it then what's the harm?!

LaQueen · 14/10/2012 22:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Inneedofbrandy · 14/10/2012 22:08

I would say takeaway offering sexual favours and then getting what you want Wink

JudeFawley · 14/10/2012 22:13

I simply can't stand her.

I think it's her clothes and squeaky voice and atrocious hair.

AnotherCerealNameChanger · 14/10/2012 22:19

I like her. Mostly. Watching her cock up batches of scones was fairly amusing, although having made several liters of sloe gin I now find it gives the worst ever hangovers. Even just a small glass. Evil.

These was one show where she had the most revolting lipstick on, I kept fiddling with the brightness on the TV to see if I could tone it down for her.

Tnetennba · 14/10/2012 22:23

I like her, she seems natural when she is on TV. Her relationship with Phil spencer on Location, Location,Location is one of the few 'tv partnerships' that comes across as real. They are fun to watch.

Her jolly hockey sticks persona is a bit unusual in TV these days but I think she carries it off.
I like crafts but I find her craft shows a bit too twee.

FudgeyCookie · 14/10/2012 22:26

She's lovely in rl, she lives about 10minutes away from where I do, and used to go into the shop-come-cafe that my nan worked in quite regularly.

My friends mum has a HUGE girl crush on her, and friend + her mum happened to bump into her outside of the cinema. Friends mum went very star struck and asked to shake her hand!

FreudiansGoldSlipper · 14/10/2012 22:29

Not really a fan and think it insulting to Nigella to compare them

Her clothes are horrendous she seems years older than me i think we are the same age. Many of the mums at ds school are followers. They seem to like nothing better than talking about decorating and cake baking professional mummys. Seems fashionable to be twee at the moment I blame Kirstie

SrirachaGhoul · 14/10/2012 22:29

I think she's great. She's my fantasy BFF.

SrirachaGhoul · 14/10/2012 22:31

...and what's wrong with twee? The world could use a little more, I think.

Ohhelpohnoitsa · 14/10/2012 22:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TwllBach · 14/10/2012 22:34

I have the biggest girl crush on her - even if I do find her voice quite irritating and in theory dislike her or reasons mentioned above.

However.

I love her dresses and her crafty programmes and her house and her Christmas Blush

MummysHappyPills · 14/10/2012 22:35

I actually quite like her too! Think I kind of fancy her a bit. Blush

MummysHappyPills · 14/10/2012 22:36

X posts twll!

I think it is her rosy cheeks that do it for me! Grin

FreudiansGoldSlipper · 14/10/2012 22:44

What's wrong with twee well it all seems a little dated imo something my nanny was expected to be but thankfully those who do not want to be no longer are expected to be

missingmumxox · 14/10/2012 23:02

I like her, I wonder why liking to be creative is considered anti feminist, I consider myself a feminist but I also happen to like making jam, sewing. knitting, gardening, cooking, upholstery and all things craft, I am also for the record a bit of a frugal zealot, so it fits in with my life.
I do it because I enjoy it, I have made a compost bin which I made from palettes, a raised veg bed I made from a...umm old bed, today I made apple jelly from apples I foraged and decorated a old shoe box for packing my Jams, preserves, salsas, cakes, pickles and Jelly's to give to people for Christmas.

I would much rather spend 2 hours walking in the woods and another hour making a jam from what I collected, than be in a supermarket, and my boys love running about making dens, exploring and generally having a good time, instead for wandering round a supermarket, they also help me make stuff and are very proud of their efforts.

the only thing I don't like is this year some twat completely cleared the 2 crab apple trees I have used happily for years before they where ready, I have no idea what they would do with that much jelly, my needs where always satisfied with a one off visit and a carrier bag full of apples and I was giving it away, as I had too much for my needs, and you wouldn't have known I had been there.

upholstery classes I used to do 10 lessons for 58 quid plus materials, they are now 260 pounds!!! and still with materials on top, blood years I did this, now I can't afford it. so on those points I could dislike the likes of Kirsty an Hugh, but I don't it isn't them it is twats who want to cash in, some people watching these programs will be happy to be take what they need, and find something worthwhile to do, most will watch it like I do cooking programs, salivating then cook the same thing they always have.

VivaLeBeaver · 14/10/2012 23:09

I love her on location, have caught small bits of the craft programme but didn't watch a full episode.

I'm sure I read somewhere that one of the crafty experts she went to see said she was horrible during filming. Totally uninterested, got a minion to do 95% of it. Then when the camera were on turned on the charm and pretended shed done this thing that she hadn't.

She seems quite ok on twitter.