To feel a little sick at the thought of this Facebook group...

[katese11]

It's called "women who eat on tubes" and is entirely made up of pictures of women, taken without their knowledge, eating in the tube.

I know it's not illegal or anything but it's a bit of a nightmare for me. Like many women I carry around a few food issues and have never been keen on people watching me eat. Still I've had to eat on the tube a few times...rushing from work to child pick up or at the end of a long day with the kids when it's my first sit down for hours...Those kind of situations. I would never whip out a full Indian takeaway on the Jubilee Line but on this group anything is fair game. A bag of raisins in your handbag will get you posted up there alongside the "secret sandwich scoffers".

AIBU to panic at the thought of this? I haven't spotted myself on there but I'm so paranoid that I will...

Just had a look and some of the comments seem to be quite pervy "shudders" almost like they are feeders. How weird.

Just heard the guy who started it talking on Radio 4 and a wonderful woman (sorry didn't catch either name) challenging him. He said that it was 'reportage' and 'art' and she asked why he couldn't do his 'reportage' and 'art' and then ask for permission to publish. Basically he is a twat.

But the good news is that Facebook have taken the page down as of this morning although I think the tumblr page still exists.

Apparently there is a big lunch party on the circle line on Monday - lots of women will all be eating together as 'art' !!!! Go Girls!

Chococros raises a good point re: diabetes. Similarly, I'm not diabetic but have always been prone to hypoglycaemia if I haven't eaten.

Maybe they'll set up another page called Women Who Pass Out On Tubes.

Madamstisse you are wrong in stating eating in public as a modern phenomenon. How has traditional street food developed? And remember Nell Gwynn - the orange seller? Who sold oranges to eat at the theatre....?

I suspect people who do this don't think it's small-minded and mean; they think it's funny.

To be fair, they're also probably socially inept, and so 'funny' to them isn't funny to normal people. Or, if not socially inept, then scraping the barrel a bit, life-wise. Which, let's be honest, is probbly because they're socially inept.

I mean, it's hard to imagine it even occuring to a well-adjusted, successful, friendly, well-liked person to see the point of this, let alone do it. It's a bit Beavis and Butthead, right?

People sure are weird.

Hmm, just seen bebow's post.

You're playing fast and loose with the word 'hilarious' there, mate.

Don't get out much then, do ya?

You would post pictures of a 'scoffer or a snoozer'? bebow Why? Why is it funny? I wouldn't even notice if someone was eating, sleeping or what it just wouldn't occur to me that it was 'hilarious'.

The whole 'Art' thing is a load of crap, it's weird and pervy, that's all.

Heard the radio interview - didn't think the woman did herself many favours, she came over as a bit dippy and not really having any arguments and the man was much more articulate. Shame really.

Slow Computer - I disagree, I thought the woman made some valid points, for example "If you want to take reportage photos then take them but then get the subject to sign a permission form before you publish them". This is what television and radio documentary makers have to do. The only time they don't is when it is news. Women eating on the tube is not news.
But I thought the female Today presenter was a bit weak. I would have asked 'Why women? Why not men too?'

TBH this is just trolling under the guise of 'art'.

The female interviewee was Lucy Brisbane McKay. She is a student and is 21 years old. She is the one organising the Circle Line Lunch on Monday. Good on her. She says some people have told her she sounded a bit emotional but I didn't hear any nerves or over-reaction. I thought she sounded very lucid and coherent. And I admire her for taking this on. Here is what she says on her 'lunch on the tube' facebook page:

"The WWEOT facebook page is gone! Facebook took it down. Victory! But we think the amount of fans it got reflects a wider problem in society and the lunch party is still on, so hopefully we'll still see you Monday.
Plus, if you missed it, I was just on the Today show on Radio 4 with Tony Burke himself, should be on iPlayer later. It was difficult to get a word in past his massive 'artistic' ego and apparently I was 'too emotional', which is perhaps what he thinks about all of us silly women, but I tried!"

It's outrageous to take photos of strangers and put them on a website. Outrageousl. And it should be illegal. Stop defending your eating habits. That's playing into their hands. Of course, it's mysogynist and fat shaming and I don't know what else. But, above all, it's a bloody cheek.

Haven't the inclination to read the whole thing, but really, who gives a shit? I couldn't care less of someone sees me eat, and I couldn't care less if there's a FB group about it. Add the great Richard Feynman said 'Why do you care what other people think?' In other words, other people are not important.

I think it says a lot more about the Photographers and I say that in the loosest sense...than it does on their subjects.

I heard this on radio 4 this morning.

I asked DH if he'd be happy about people photographing him eating on trains and tube and he said of course not.

I have over weight relatives male and female who are already self conscious about being out in public without weird people like this unknowing taking photos making them widely accessible to an unknown public and making comments. This should be basic common decency and is a much wider problem than this bizarre group.

Ideally I'd never eat except a family meal - however long work hours and long days out with DC mean sometime grabbing something when out has to do.

Given we currently have a society where many women have issues with their bodies often weight it's hard to see how unfaltering photo taken of women without their permission or knowledge when eating then publicly displayed isn't some how a way of shaming the women behaviour.

Deeply misogynist - and trying to hide behind art -

I couldn't eat on the tube bit because it's common but because it's just so unclean feeling yeuk.

Eating in public common . Well I suppose eating is a common thing to do as everyone does it!

I've seen a site shaming men who sit on public transport with their legs wide open.

I think what I find odd about these pictures is the angles that are used. They DEFINITELY give a feeling of voyeurism. Plus, the text on the sites also emphasized this as a kind of act that those taking the pictures considered to be 'private' but made public: the Tumblr page mentions women 'Slowly, secretly, guiltily raising each bite-sized morsel to their salty lips in the hope that no one’s watching. Well, I’m watching'.

The gaze here is being used to control - these women are not subjects in their own right, and I refuse to believe that this site is respectful of them. In fact, some of the descriptions beneath the pictures are overtly offensive and judgemental.

I have just come off a site that I closed my account on. Its the complete opposite this and there threads of a similar vein ie "Sneering at fat people" where pictures were taken and posted and then a packmob mentality appeared and people were bloody horrible to be truthful. Other threads appeared and again mob-mentality kicked in and users were really quite rude. The moderators seem to only moderate what they wish.
Facebook seems to be awash with certain pages and groups and does attempt to erase such groups but no sooner have they done so then another appears.
The fact that someone wishes to eat or not in public is immaterial. Said person shouldnt be in fear of having their image taken then uploaded. Celebrities and those with money would call it an invasion privacy.............

"I'm not sticking up for them... but I don't think they're trying to embarrass anyone. Like I've said they've shot people down for making rude or sexist comments."

So the one of three women together, all eating entitled "Three Little Pigs" is merely observational

Utter shite, the aim is to disparage and degrade.

that photo is from the tumblr blog

Apparently one of the newspapers ran a story on this (can't remember which one as it was linked from Twitter). The guy that runs the website was interviewed but refused to be photographed or supply a photo to be printed alongside the article.

Presumably if somebody took his photo without permission and posted it on a website called, say, 'Men who attempt to humiliate women via the Internet' it would be ok.

Wh

If it had been 'people who eat on tubes' i'd be fine with it.

I find it extremely sexist. How dare women eat huh?!

Oh and its fine for us to work and pay equally towards things with men, but we must do so whilst remaining delicate and ladylike.