"Why I stopped being a good girl" by Hadley Freeman

[spacehardware]

It's a long read but Hadley deconstructs the issues, and all the "this is like homophobia/racism/you're a right wing schill" nonsense (honestly the TRAs must share Cliffs Notes) brilliantly.

unherd.com/2022/02/why-i-stopped-being-a-good-girl/

Well said, although the reassuring reminders that TQ+ is lovely and absolutely important and all the other validations necessary to be permitted to speak at all are grating. And I'm afraid I disagree on one point: I think those who want to remove women's needed rights for their own benefit are terrible people. And quite staggeringly male supremacist.

Somewhat born out by the comments, the male ones of which range from 'this is feminists' fault for getting out of their box in the first place instead of serving men quietly and doing what they were told, so don't come crying to me', to 'wrong side of history (women give up now, you'll get used to your return to flat out, gleeful oppression)'

Yeah, good luck with getting me back in my box.

I read it via twitter this morning and thought it was a great piece - pleased to see it's been posted here.

@Floisme

Thanks for the link. She sounds like she's at the end of her tether with the Guardian. I think it's time she got out - it can't be doing her any good and she's such a talented interviewer, I'm sure somewhere else would snap her up pretty quickly.

If she chooses to go elsewhere I totally support her. That said, it is not something we should hope for or wish for in my opinion. If all GC journalists move across to rightwing periodicals, that weakens rather than strengthens the GC cause. Even those of you who are Conservative voters should consider that the only way to get a definitive GC victory is to win Labour over to the GC cause - because there will be a non-Tory government sooner or later - and making Labour change its mind involves exposing Guardian readers etc to GC points of view.

I agree with that transdimensional but I was thinking of her own well-being. There's a limit to how long anyone can tolerate being viewed by their own colleagues as a 21st century Phyllis Shafley (her words or similar). She sounds very down.

It makes me wonder how many of her colleagues and former friends are now working out how to join her and her common sense views without looking like idiots.

I follow the "Oh God What Now" podcasts where Marie Le Conte is a frequent contributor and I imagine there are a few of them not wanting to be linked to her anti-older feminist (and reality) rants.

It is an excellent piece. Very balanced.

I think is a beautifully written, eloquently articulated piece and I agree with every single word. Go Hadley!!

Thank you, that is very interesting.

The Times has an article about this and, proving Hadley's point beautifully, turned the comments off:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/26028b74-9333-11ec-9aec-82f0032d4cd3?shareToken=eb704a091aeb5685e5d5d54ac1a6f675

I saw this this morning too - really good piece. I simply cannot see why anyone would think her views anything other than reasonable.

Hadley has nailed the issues in a clear way. I would love to be able to write so well. Thank you Hadley. Although she doesn’t use MN so won’t know.

Brilliant piece, well done Hadley! I look forward to her book.

Michele Moore describes a teen, in the link below, with anorexia who then transitioned after being influenced by other trans I'd girls in the anorexia clinic she was in iirc.

The trans id then took precedence as "oh that's what it is!" But it wasn't and she had more mh issues laid on her shoulders.

Great piece from Hadley. I don't know how she can stick the Guardian any longer.

Wonderful article, thank you Hadley.

What a great piece from Hadley. I don’t know how she sticks the Guardian any more. If anyone knows her in the real world, perhaps point her to this thread so she knows that she’s not alone.

👏 Hadley. If only your colleagues were brave enough to stand with you publicly.

Absolutely brilliant article.
But will her colleagues and other journalists stand up and be counted...

What is this idea though that if voices come from Mumsnet they are somehow less worthy? I had the sense that was implied.

She's fantastic isn't she? I listened to this over the weekend which I really enjoyed.

Because I think there is a genuine distaste for mothers thinking outside the mothering sphere. It means that they are people too and I think some people find it difficult to think their mums could have any thoughts that didn't centre their children. And that's frightening. So they are dismissed because mums couldn't and shouldn't have independent thoughts.

That was to @ScrollingLeaves

Really good piece from Hadley, despite a bit of a side swipe at this fine parish

I’m also a former Good Girl (not in current good standing, due to being Very Not Good on this topic and not being a bit sorry about it) so it resonates from that angle.

Hadley is very brave, well done her. She writes, "I haven't lost my job over this". My mind added a loud YET. It's definitely a risk given what happened to Suzanne Moore.

Watching this interesting talk just now, daringdoris!

I wonder if one has to at some point stop being a 'good girl' and grow up and become a woman.

Well done, Hadley.

I don’t believe that you don’t at least lurk around here…