To tell you all what Alan Titchmarch thinks of 12-15 year old girls who dress 'inappropriately'

[RiffyWammal]

I'm so angry. On his show today in a discussion about sexual harassment and sexism he said something really vile. I will transcribe what he said exactly;

"A lot of 12, 13, 14, 15 year old girls are now walking down the street barely covered. I see crop tops on girls of 12 and skirts up here, in a way now I hate to say that thing which men say 'they are asking for it' but it strikes me that if a girl of 14 walks past a building site in a crop top and short skirt she's probably going to get whistled at and worse."

I'm disgusted as was Laura Bates from Everyday Sexism who stayed remarkably controlled as she countered this. The victim blaming, the implication that girls should jolly well cover up if they don't want to be harrassed, the attitude of 'how else do we expect men to react if they see a girl's legs and belly'? I could hardly believe my ears. The audience applauded him FFS

I think I am going to make a complaint to ITV. I just wanted to bring it to the attention of anyone else who might wish to do the same.

The problems lie with the attitudes of the builders not the women but that doesn't change the fact that revealing clothes will attract comments in some circumstances.

That is simply untrue. As Laura Bates said it mostly happens to girls in school uniform.

And I actually think AT was pretty insulting to builders too.

And I actually think AT was pretty insulting to builders too

True. I didn't think of it like that.

And YY to the schoolgirl thing. It's utterly perverted and all about power.

When I was 17 I had a job once a week doing the filing and typing for a one-man band businessman - he was a builder and a normal man, not the kind of lust-crazed animal Titchmouse fantasises about imagines

I used to go straight from school in my uniform and have to walk about half a mile along a main road to the turning onto a light industrial estate where his yard was.

I dreaded that walk. I used to have to go past a long line of cars waiting at the traffic lights. Nearly all of them with single male drivers or groups of men who'd come off the estate. The abuse was unbelievable.

I stuck that job for a year because my mum wanted me to do it. The money wasn't the thing for her she let me keep all my wages, she just wanted me to stick at something. In the end I said I needed to concentrate on revising for my A levels and she was happy to let me quit.

I never told her. If I had she'd have let me quit in an instant. But not before going down there with me and punching the first arsehole who abused me.

I know plenty of builders who wouldn't dream of sexually assaulting random women in the street.

Limited, I was having a conversation with friends about this recently. We all had stories to share about street abuse/harassment - esp from our teens.

I recalled walking home from school (normally alone) - aged 13/14, and having to cross a school playing field. I would cross paths with groups of schoolboys from a different school. The catcalling/obscenities were something else, and on one occasion I was sexually assaulted by them (they grabbed me and groped me). I called this walk home 'running the gauntlet' in my head - and would spend the whole walk trying to avoid these boys.

I told no one.

As a society we have to deal with this. We have to teach our boys that this is not acceptable behaviour, and refuse to allow it to be laughed off as a joke, or harmless.

Well, what do you expect - he comes from Ilkley!

Well, what do you expect - he comes from Ilkley

And your point

I got beeped and 'oi oi'ed at once by a white van with several blokes inside. I was wearing my scuzziest fleece and jogging bottoms. I most certaint did not look 'sexy' or 'provocative'.

I imagine they were probably beig ironic rather than finding me so attractive that they just couldn't stop themselves from beeping the horn and shouting at me, but actually that's sort of the point isn't it? Women should be able to walk down the street or past a group of men without getting heckled by anyone, for whatever reason and whatever they are wearing.

Alan Titchmarsh is a total dickhead who doesn't know what the fuck he is on about.

Whatever their age, girls and women should be able to wear whatever the hell they want. If a man wants to make inappropriate comments he will whether they're wearing a burka or a bikini.

My dad was a building site forman from the early 60s through to the early 90s and the builders wouldnt dare do it while he was on site

Obvs what happened when he wasnt there he couldnt say

My husband is a builder. He won't tolerate this either. He says if it's even happened on a site he's been on they've been reported by multiple people and sacked on the spot. All builders have a mother and most of them have wives, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, nieces etc, etc that they would not want spoken to like that so they don't accept it about other women.

Incidentally I live near Rotherham and the victim blaming up there has been absolutely sickening the last few weeks.

The girls who were sexually abused and their families have been castigated by lots of people who say they 'should have known where their daughters were' and 'they should have been at home with their mums and dads'. It's shocking, these girls were going shopping or to the park and apparently that means it's their fault if they get gang raped.

aermingers it shows how pervasive victim blaming is doesnt it.

So going for a browse round New Look to buy a top means its their fault does it? Its a pity those victim blamers cant hear how monumentally stupid they sound.

Not to mention misogynistic.