I went to a another of the Intelligence Squared debates tonight held in a Methodist church in Westminster.
The panel consisted of six people. For the motion was Madelaine Levy, Britt Lintner and Paula Reed (style director of Grazia) and against the motion was Stephen Bayley, Susie Orbach (of “Fat Is a Feminist Issue” fame) and Grayson Perry (the nations’ favourite transvestite and Turner prize winner).
It was relatively interesting although not lively enough and a few of the speakers waffled on a bit. I was always going to be against the motion and whilst the audience voted in favour of the motion at the beginning thankfully, by the end of the debate the against the motion panel managed to turn the audience around and they won a resounding victory.
Phew. Most agreed in the end it was more like “Fashion unmaketh woman”.
Here is a photo showing just how extraordinary Grayson Perry looked on the panel wearing his “heart on his sleeve” fashion, in the style of Little Bo Peep. At one point during his anti-fashion discussion he mentioned his daughter and I wondered for a teeny minute how she deals with having a parent who goes out wearing clothes that might embarrass you just a little bit. I mean my daughter doesn’t even want me to go to her sports day today in case I embarrass her and I’d just be wearing jeans and a t-shirt – at a push maybe a t-shirt that isn’t black – imagine if I turned up wearing one of Grayson’s dresses to cheer her on (now there’s a thought) :-
June 18th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Hi! Obviously I go completely blank when I read the word “fashion”, but just to say hello and I’m back, and been checking up on your news!
June 18th, 2010 at 9:28 am
As an outsider, i.e. a male, it does sadden me that we live in a society where women and more particularly young girls are bombarded by the media and more critically, their peers with demands to look “right” and wear the latest “cool” fashions. Our youngest is a label slave which didn’t come from us but when I collect her from school this afternoon, she will be waving goodbye to her friends, the skeletal fashonistas!
I don’t think one of Grayson’s dresses would help at all. You are beyond all possible help.
You are a parent!!!
June 18th, 2010 at 10:52 am
Very true Jon… nothing will redeem me in the eyes of my child. Lx
July 12th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Great stuff. thanks for this
July 14th, 2010 at 5:52 am
Of course, finding the right dress will require petite women to learn how to attract the right kind of attention, and knowing what type of dress will do that is almost a science. Here are some helpful guidelines: