thisiscornwall.co.uk ran a story today of local ‘beauty’ Charlotte Thompson being shortlisted in FHM’s Highstreet Honeys competition.
The first two comments realised word for word what both sides of my brain was thinking.
The first was less outraged, more disappointed, that the ambitions of a young woman with her whole life ahead of her should rest soley in being conceived as a ‘honey’ in the eyes of men.
But the idea of becoming a ‘Highstreet Honey’? Just because I’d rather peel my eyes out and set fire to my breasts before I did such a thing, doesn’t mean Charlotte has the same ideals.
Charlotte has been brought up in a world where being a ‘celebrity’ is a career choice – something one aspires to be alongside ‘doctor’, ‘lawyer’, ‘musician’, or ‘journalist’.
But making one’s fortune in Cornwall is a tricky business. Opportunities are fewer and further between than elsewhere in the country. So I wish her luck, while holding tight my reservations.
I hope she remembers herself for something other than looks alone. I hope she doesn’t take personally the comments against her choice, for women have had the vote not yet a century, and have fought hard for her freedom. I hope.
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