Live webchat with Natasha Walter, Thurs 4 Feb at 12.30pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Natasha Walter, one of Britain's foremost feminists, has a new book out on Thurs 4 Feb called Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism, about the effect our hypersexualised culture is having on young women and girls.

We're delighted to say that Natasha is coming to the Towers for a live chat on Thurs, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

So please post your questions here and hope you can join us.

Sorry but is it our over sexualised culture or is it our parochial[sp?] attitude to sex? You don't see any of this in Holland, which has one of the most relaxed attitudes to sex I've ever encountered. They have a slightly higher female education rate than men to secondary level, a low birth rate in their teen population and seem to have much less issues with alcohol etc.

Could it be our attitudes to sex etc. that have put us in this position? A paradigm shift on this scale would be very hard to achieve.

How do you think we could do it?

VeryInterestedInHerBigQuestionTiggaxx

oh stop with the xx after your name
it infantilises you

I think you have one boy and one girl - is that right? I'd like to know what practical steps you take, as a mother, to give your daughter positive role models and wider aspirations than those generally presented by popular culture.

TheElephan I'll do what I want, if you don't like it the door is that way->

ScrewYouTiggaxx

Hope this isn't too late, but Natasha is discussing her book on Woman's Hour this morning before she comes to us.

Too late, but you can listen to Natasha's piece here

Hi,

I've lurked on Mumsnet for ages but this is the first time I've been brave enough to post. But Natasha I loved your New Feminism book and wanted to ask you a question.

What do you think about books like Ellie Levenson's recent book on feminism that seem to place emphasis on individual choices? My daughter is 15 and she read the book and loved it (though I think maybe she's a teensy but young for it) and says doesn't mind being a feminist now that she knows that can also mean wearing what she wants and getting married if she wants and so on. It makes me sad - I thought that much was obvious - but she and her friends say feminism for them has always seemed to forbid things. For me it was the opposite - about allowing things.

Thanks. Can't wait to read your new book.

Halley

Sorry, I should have said I can't join in the chat because I have a meeting but can't wait to read it later. Halley

Thanks Molesworth

test

the shrieking.. Thank you for bringing some much needed proportion to this discussion. Sexism has always been with us and it seems to apply more to men nowadays than ever.

Hi I hope that feminism is embedded into to my life and that of my family. Feminism fights for equality for everyone, whatever their race, gender, sexuality, religion etc etc. I believe that to talk about 'man-hating' is to take an easy shot at the second wave of feminists how were addressing the patriachal hegenomy that informed the public and private spheres in post-war Britain.This link will take you to the recent BBC programme for a quick overview.
the British Family

What I would like to say to Natasha is
'Patriarchy and the status quo have served the capitalist system for eons. Feminism has been subverted to offer women, especially young women, the illusion of choice, ie to flaunt their bodies and to be sexually available, to work outside the home, bearing the burden of organising child-care and an unequal share of domestic responsibilities. I know that many young men are feminists and would not view women as inferior and take equal responsibilty as partners and fathers. However in my work with young people I meet many, both male and female, who would never challenge the status quo.

Should we organise again as we did in the 70s and 80s? Do we need Women's Groups again? Bristol Feminist Network is holding a Reclaim the Night event, Fawcett anf the F-word have excellent internet presence. How can we practically embed equality into child-rearing, education, youth work so that feminism is not a dirty word?'

(Sorry this is a bit hurried as I'm going out, I will try to follow the discussion from my phone)
Thank you for all the work and conciousness raising you do.

Hello Natasha, thanks very much for coming on.

When you wrote The New Feminism, it seemed as though you felt that what was going on in pop culture was not terribly relevant to whether or not women would achieve equality - that it was policy, and legislative and financial structures, which would eventually swing it. Can you describe how and why you began to feel that was not true?

If you can bring in the astonishing sleight of hand that lad-mag culture pulled off in rebranding pornography as a) a leisure activity and b)an act of empowerment, that would be brill.

We're delighted that Natasha's here and in the building, so we'll be ready for the off imminently.

Hello
It's great to be here, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to discuss these issues with you.
I'm really impressed by the range of questions already up here, and I'll try to answer as many as possible... but bear with me if I go silent from time to time as I gather my thoughts...

Squeaver
Thank you very much for your generous comment.
I agree that one of the big challenges for those who want to dissent from the rise of this hypersexual culture is how to make any dissent heard in the mainstream. Taking your views to the editors of mainsteam newspapers, debating them on mainstream websites like this one, telling mainstream retailers where you think they have crossed the line - I think all these actions can help as well as, as you say, supporting campaigns that are seen as more obviously feminist.

Zellie, Scrappydappydoo, Morningpaper, A BetaDad -
A few of you have asked about bringing up children in this culture, about what we should be saying to our sons and our daughters in order to encourage them to resist pressures either to treat women as objects or to buy into the pressure to see themselves as sexual objects. I'd be reluctant to give parenting advice on this website! but I would say that I don't think we should despair as parents. We can't screen out the culture around us but we can help our children to ask questions about what they see and make informed choices about whether to buy into it or not.

Cakeywakey
You've asked an important question about what the newspaper and magazine industry should do to change. Obviously I'd like to see Nuts and Zoo closed down and replaced by a relaunched Spare Rib and Ms magazine... but seriously you have a good point that at least the editors of these newspapers and magazines should look again at what they display on front covers and at child height. You are not the only one who finds this material offensive - as other posters have said, why are we put in the position of having to explain it to our children?

HellothisisJoanie
Thank you! I hope you like the book.

I listened to you on Woman's Hour, and I have to say that I don't think that over use of the words power and empowerment is helpful to our cause.

Argh, I really want to join in with this chat, but I have to take the kids places!

OK, quick question - do you think that the internet will help to give women at home with kids a voice (ie if I didn't have the internet I would be stuck shouting at the tv) or do you think the overall effect is going to be more to do with easier access to porn and so on?

Also, my eldest daughter is nearly three and is starting to be interested in pop music - any suggestions of where I can find positive role models for her?