Julie Burchill is an irritating eejit but she is spot on about idiocies of fashion in today's Observer Woman section (itself usually bloody awful too)

[moondog]

Why women should not be in thrall to gay men

'No matter how old and glorious the models, sad indeed is the woman who sees fashion as a means of self-expression rather than an agent of social control'

Oh, I think she's bang on the money at least 50 per cent of the time. Mind you, the irony of Observer Women running an anti-fashion article...

A good feature by La Burchill. I think she's nearly always terrific though.

I love Julie Birchall.

Message withdrawn

It has always amused me that grown women with successful lives ( and I include myself in that) feel the need to have a gay man instruct them that they should be dressing like a pre pubescant tart.

I don't understand why women let themselves be bossed about by Trinny and Susannah.

I think clothes can be about social control, but they are also a form of self expression, so I half agree with Burchill.

I watched a lot of Trinny and Susannah on Indian channel when in Bangladesh. Bizarre. I think they are getting into v dangerous psycho sexual territory getting people to take their kit off and 'explore each other' behind a screen.

Leave it!!!

So. Is she a lezza, or what?

I've lost track.

She had a fling with Charlotte Raven and is now married to her brother. Charlotte Raven's brother that is.

Agree with Burchill, but why is she writing for that shitty rag? I really must stop buying the Obs in protest at them calling what is clearly Observer Fashion 'Observer Woman'. Plastic surgery, Kate Dross, some toss about male sexuality and to cap it all, Agnes Deyn with her baps out...

Do me a fucking favour.

p.s. Burchill has done her lezzer by the sea phase and is now obssessed with Judaism and back on the cock. Strange gal.

gmtv questioned the women of liverpool the other morning, they all said coleen and alex curran were the icons they looked up to lolo

rofl at her being back on the cock.

What a vulgar expression.

And yet so descriptive...

icons as in style icons or general icons.

Trinny IS a gay man.

Aha! Thanks for the update, MrsMattie.

She had a pop at posh in that piece, though.

I thought she was a fan.

style icons i suppose

Totally agree with her, I love fashion as a spectacle but I would no more follow it than I would drag my arse across the carpet to wipe it.

And can I just say...Alex Curran...Bleurghhh.

Guffaw at 'back on the cock'
This is the place ot slag off Observer woman which is vile.
Ds left mine in the thetre we vistied today. Even he, at 4, knows it is shite.

agree or disagree, I always read Burchill, think she's a great writer. Not many other columnists I like, though Barbara Ellen always sounded like a really nice person (and I mean that in a totally complimentary and unsarcastic way)

thinking about it though gay men have had the upper hand a bit too long

Barbara Ellen is quite frankly brilliant, it's a bit scary how much of her writing I agree with.

ooh, another fan. She is just very understated but spot on imo.

seems to be able to write about her kids and relationships in a totally uncringey way, too - unlike most other journalists. While we're on the subject, how much longer is Zoe Williams going to keep on talking about bloody baby stuff. Please. Stop. It. Now.

Zoe Williams has always been a bit like that though I found, finds an enthusiasm and then blathers on about it ad infinitum.

Barbs (as I like to call her) is a more refined writer imo.