Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Konnie Huq article

27 replies

Juells · 06/08/2019 10:08

Quick post before I have to fly out the door...
www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49204146

I was struck by a couple of things in this article. One was the contrast between a children's book written by a woman, and one written by a man (DW, as discussed here recently). I doubt the subject of porn is touched on, in KH's book.

The second thing was that, when doing a programme about nerds when she had a breastfeeding baby, imagine what a powerful message would have been sent if she'd had a baby in a sling while doing it? Most women have a baby at some time in their lives, why the fuck are we so excluded when we do? I'm the opposite to an earth-mother, I didn't know what the hell to do with a baby when I had one, never thought babies had anything to do with me, still don't, but I can see how distanced I was when growing up from the idea that having babies and looking after them was in any way a worthwhile thing to do.

Arrrrgghhhhh my own feelings are so mixed up on the subject, but I do think more women should be shown in the media with babies strapped on.

OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 06/08/2019 10:19

Do you mean had her baby on the show while presenting it? I can sort of see your point but she was there to work and surely it would have been distracting and potentially unfair on the baby.

Her book sounds good. Something I know a few DC I know would be interested in.

Grimbles · 06/08/2019 10:22

If women were to just strap their babies on and go to work then you can bet maternity leave would be abolished!

Original poster
Juells · 06/08/2019 10:27

Would it, though? How unfair is it that she had to get up long before dawn, express milk, and spend all day without her baby? Why have we been so brainwashed that the sight of a baby strapped to a woman's back or chest would be considered distracting? Why do we think we are so more advanced than peasant women who work with babies on their backs? They feckin' know where their baby is all the time, and who's looking after it. Toddlers would be distracting, but babies aren't.

OP posts:
Original poster
Juells · 06/08/2019 10:28

Grimbles good point. I'm just sifting through thoughts here, trying to work out my own feelings about the article.

OP posts:
MorrisZapp · 06/08/2019 10:29

Nah, I don't want to see babies with working women. Sorry. They're only tiny for a very short time.

knottybeams · 06/08/2019 10:43

Where would you draw the line though? Should a reception teacher have their baby attached during classes? What about in your teens' A level group? A woman on a checkout? On a production line? While cross examining a witness in court? Should I have my baby in a sling in my consulting room (it might make your coil fit a bit tricky tbh)? Or do you suggest women only go into those careers where baby wearing at work would be feasible? If that was the case would you judge a woman who went into a non-baby-wearable career? What about dads who do some childcare. Feels a backward step to me.

And while I'm all in favour of normalising breastfeeding, would a presenter of a programme on nerds really be a helpful place to do it, rather than say a newsreader/cbeebies house gang entertainment show or history documentary? I'd want to be wary of conflating bf (normal natural etc) with a mocked group if I was the producer. I'd likely be happy for baby to come to set and sit in gallery while popping out to bf between takes but more wary of them being on camera. Plus of course a lot of (especially famous) parents don't even want their kids on social media, let alone national TV.

AnneLovesGilbert · 06/08/2019 11:19

Not distracting to the viewer but to the mum/employee.

I’m a big fan of using a sling and my baby is happy in it but she sometimes needs a jiggle or some chatter, to feed or have a nappy change. I took her to an evening event recently and she was perfectly happy for the two hours we were there either staring at the stuff around us or nodding off for a brief nap. But I’m sure Konnie was on set for more than two hours and my event was outside while she’d have been surrounded by the bright hot lights of a tv studio, the noise of everything going on around her and other people relying on her to focus on the job in hand so she’d have been in the same position worrying she was failing at both caring for her baby properly and giving her job the attention it deserved.

Original poster
Juells · 06/08/2019 11:28

It just sounds so horrendous to be expressing, I don't know how anyone does it. :( I remember the way the milk would flood in, with associated pain, if the baby made even a small wail in the night. I don't know how anyone could go a whole day without a baby there to relieve the pressure.

OP posts:
MockerstheFeManist · 06/08/2019 11:36

What with Black Mirror doing so well I expect she can afford to put her feet up.

Will always remember her for the 2008 Olympic torch run with the Chinese goon squad beating up the protestors in her path. As Simon Mayo put it: "Konnie Huq, run like .....the wind."

Original poster
Juells · 06/08/2019 11:38

Will always remember her for the 2008 Olympic torch run with the Chinese goon squad beating up the protestors in her path. As Simon Mayo put it: "Konnie Huq, run like .....the wind."

I don't understand what happened there, or the significance?

OP posts:
4under4our · 06/08/2019 11:44

I agree OP. My 1st was a few weeks early so I was still wrapping up at work. I needed to be in the office for a few more client meetings, one internal meeting and a handover with my replacement.

DS came with me to all of these, I discreetly fed him as and when I needed to and despite this being in a very much male dominated field nobody batted an eyelid.

4under4our · 06/08/2019 11:44

I agree OP. My 1st was a few weeks early so I was still wrapping up at work. I needed to be in the office for a few more client meetings, one internal meeting and a handover with my replacement.

DS came with me to all of these, I discreetly fed him as and when I needed to and despite this being in a very much male dominated field nobody batted an eyelid.

stucknoue · 06/08/2019 11:52

Women insisting on bringing their babies would have even fewer career opportunities. A man has a baby, they don't bring it to work, they leave it with a trusted caregiver (usually the mum), women can do the same - breastfeeding complicates things but we are entitled to a year maternity leave and by a year I was only feeding morning and night (cows milk in a cup in between)

stucknoue · 06/08/2019 11:53

They aren't hard up! I knew Charlie Brooker personally many years ago before he was famous, nice guy!

Lumene · 06/08/2019 11:58

Not sure about babies being strapped to parents while working to prove a point. Just mums or dads too?

JoyceJeffries · 06/08/2019 11:58

I couldn’t really concentrate enough to work if I had my children with me.

Ali1cedowntherabbithole · 06/08/2019 12:35

I'd be worried it could become an expectation.

Why would women need maternity leave if they can just strap their Babies on & go to work?

That would work out really well for those in min wage occupations.

Lawlsie1976 · 06/08/2019 12:40

I thought it was very touching when she said she expressed milk at 5am then went off to the TV studio and said, yes, that take's fine because she wanted to get back to her baby. I thought that was very honest of her and I hope she doesn't get crap for saying it.

She is very privileged in that she can choose to stay home while her children are small. She can return to the TV screens, I hope, tho TV is so incredibly ageist! I hope she comes back at some point. They seem to have a nice happy life together and I'm very pleased for them.

OhGodWhatTheHellNow · 06/08/2019 12:43

I did this but unarguably took two days to do what I can get done in half a day now... It was great for me having the option*, but hungry dd could clear the office in seconds and I'm not so sure how great it was for everybody else.

*Bonus of being married to the MD.

CassianAndor · 06/08/2019 12:51

why do so many celebs, especially children's TV slebs, think they can write kids books? Drives me nuts, and they get all the marketing and publicity that would actually go to proper writers.

Lawlsie1976 · 06/08/2019 12:54

@CassianAndor yes that annoys me too!

Original poster
Juells · 06/08/2019 13:51

why do so many celebs, especially children's TV slebs, think they can write kids books? Drives me nuts, and they get all the marketing and publicity that would actually go to proper writers.

Who's a proper writer, though? She wrote a children's book about a subject that interests her, I can't see what the problem is. People don't have to be just writers, most writers have other careers as well. If she'd had it ghostwritten I'd agree, but not if it's all her own work.

I tried writing a children's book and it was shite Grin I admire anyone who can write one well enough to have it published.

OP posts:
CassianAndor · 06/08/2019 13:56

most celebs can't write that well, though - and they think it's easy to write a kids book. Children's publishing is awash with poorly written celebrity-authored rubbish. Walliams is a case in point.

Just because she's got a publishing deal doesn't make her a good writer - she got a deal because she's well known!

Chickenish · 07/08/2019 05:15

Black country chainmaking ladies had their babies hanging up by their forges while working. NOT a good look and I bet it made their lives harder.

SusieSusieSoo · 07/08/2019 06:48

Basically you're saying don't take maternity leave, go back to work & take the baby with you?

Because obviously being a tv presenter is an easy job and a baby will just sleep for hours in a sling whilst its dm is working and just fit in with the breaks she's given for lunch to eat & be ok holding on for the loo til a suitable break in filming and never ever cry or want to lie on the floor & kick its legs in the air... and given babies grow so fast that would work for exactly how long before lo was rolling around on the floor & wanting to crawl.

Have you tried doing a job with a baby? It's not fun for anyone.

Sorry op. Not agreeing with this one.

What she's saying is it's a hard schedule doing that job & I chose to look after dc's whilst they were little instead.

What on earth is wrong with that?

Swipe left for the next trending thread