Feminism
Michel Houellebecq may be honoured by the French establishment, but he’s no fan of Europe
For many years, Michel Houellebecq was patronised by the French literary establishment as an upstart, what with his background in…
Margaret Atwood seems embarrassed by the sheer volume of her output
Margaret Atwood is among the major writers of English fiction of our time. This is a very boring way to…
Is it an exaggeration to talk of a ‘gender war’?
According to Nina Power’s forceful and rather unusual What Do Men Want?, we in the West are currently engaged in…
The march of South Korea’s anti-feminists
How men’s rights became a big political issue
Who’s to blame if Britney Spears has been ‘devoured’ by celebrity?
All the questions around Britney Spears can be condensed into this one: who should we blame? For a long time,…
Gender is contentious. The BBC is pretending it isn't
The BBC has produced its annual 100 Women list, a showcase for women who have done interesting, important things. There’s…
When did traditional masculinity become toxic?
It’s hard for privileged white men to stay relevant in this age of identity politics but a number of fail-safe…
Women don't 'consent' to their own deaths
A ruling by the Court of Appeal last week has further enshrined the notion that women can consent to their…
Thoroughly modern Marie: Matrix, by Lauren Groff, reviewed
It is 1158. A 17-year-old girl, born of both rape and royal blood, is cast out of the French court…
The genius of Basic Instinct
Our occasional series on cinema’s most underrated films arrives at what many have considered the peak of misogynistic trash. We’re…
Lucy Ellmann is angry about everything, especially men
Is Lucy Ellmann serious? On the one hand, yes, very. The novel she published before this collection of essays was…
Godot Is a Woman will have you laughing all evening and arguing all night
Godot Is a Woman opens with three tramps standing on a bare stage beneath a solitary upright. This isn’t Samuel…
When feminists fight back
We have been told that our mere presence as academics makes students feel unsafe. We have been threatened with violence,…
The gender identity issue: Kathleen Stock puts her head above the parapet
‘Something is afoot,’ wrote the academic philosopher Kathleen Stock in 2018: Beyond the academy, there’s a huge and impassioned discussion…
Why are London police telling women to stay at home?
The disappearance of Sarah Everard in south London has once again led to women being advised by police to stay…
The life and loves of Mary Wollstonecraft
Ruth Scurr reveals what an impulsive, life-loving individual Mary Wollstonecraft was
Maggi Hambling's Wollstonecraft statue is hideous but fitting
Frankly, it is rather hideous — but also quite wonderful, shimmering against the weak blue of a late November sky.…
The mystery of Melania Trump
Melania Trump should be a feminist icon. She is determined and self-assured. Despite being one of the most criticized women…
Masculinity in crisis: Men and Apparitions, by Lynne Tillman, reviewed
Masculinity, we are often told, is in crisis. The narrator of Men and Apparitions, Professor Ezekiel (Zeke) Stark, both studies…
The subtle sexism of ‘feminist’ Democrats
Over the past five years, we’ve seen an endless stream of hand-wringing and hysteria around the misogyny of Donald Trump.…
The mix of slapstick and sermonising is certainly original: In Bad Taste reviewed
In Bad Taste is a slapstick comedy about five female terrorists who murder the governor of the Bank of England.…
Meghan Markle, voting rights activist
The biggest voting bloc in America is that of the non-voter. As a result, most prominent calls to Americans to…
Hats (and knickers) off to the hosts: The Naked Podcast reviewed
I spent half an hour this week listening to a woman make a plaster cast of her vulva. Kat Harbourne,…
How come the less something is a problem, the more people talk about it?
The less something is a problem, the more people talk about it
Julie Burchill has found a new way to provoke: she’s turned sincere
Stephen Daisley 5 March 2022 9:00 am
The greatest ever social media spat took place before the first tweet was sent, and was conducted via fax, which…