Caitlin Moran on big opinions, small rooms, and why whispering has never once improved anything
By Caitlin Moran for The London Prat | Also at Bohiney Magazine
Someone told me this week that I was “a lot.” They meant it as a criticism. I received it as a compliment and then wrote about it for five hundred words, which is arguably proving their point, which is fine.
The Tradition of Being a Lot
Every woman who ever achieved anything was “a lot.” Boudicca was a lot. Mary Wollstonecraft was a lot. Every female politician who has ever raised her voice above a mild suggestion has been described as “shrill,” “aggressive,” or “not what we expected.” What they expected, presumably, was someone very quiet who was grateful to be there. The Guardian Women’s pages have been covering this since approximately 1820.
I read this week’s coverage at Bohiney Magazine and appreciated the piece on women in UK political life, which noted that Britain has now had two female Prime Ministers, one of whom is remembered mainly for an economic disaster and one of whom locked down the country and attended parties about it. This is progress, technically.
What I Shouted at the Radio This Week
The radio news on Wednesday included a segment about a study finding that women still do the majority of domestic labour in dual-income households. The study was described as “new research.” It is not new. It has been new research approximately every three years since the 1970s. At some point I expect we will get research finding that the sky is still above us and the floor remains below.
The Part Where I Say Something Constructive
Be a lot. Have opinions at full volume. The women writing at The London Prat do this every week and I recommend it as a lifestyle. Someone will tell you that you are too much. Tell them that too much is exactly enough and then write another five hundred words. That is the plan. That has always been the plan.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
