I have a confession to make. I read the Daily Mail – often. I don’t buy it. (Does that make it better?). But I do read it online. When I am writing at ‘My Kitchen Table’ my coffee break is usually accompanied by a log onto dailymail.co.uk. Here I can be entertained without being too bothered by recession, economics or politics. I can’t take the Daily Mail very seriously with its endless stories of WAGs and Soap actresses – that’s why it’s perfect coffee break material. But I do get a bit agitated about how obsessed the paper gets about women and their weight. This week however they have been concentrating their particular brand of stupidity on our own Sinead O Connor.
Today’s Daily Mail (online version anyway) has an article entitled “Sinead’s sad slide from being pop’s most ethereal beauty”. Sad slide? What on earth are they on about? They describe her recent appearance in Manchester as being “overweight and dressed in a drab trouser suit”. They have also described her as ‘mumsy’
Sinead has aged. Like real women do. She is a mother to four children. She is in her mid 40s. She looks like a woman who has other things in her life besides an endless quest to retain her youth. She is wearing her life experience in true Shirley Valentine fashion and more importantly she says she is very happy to be called Mumsy. According to the Irish Independent at the weekend she say "I love when I'm called mumsy. As I am in my 'mumsy' department. I've already gone forth and multiplied four times. So I don't need to be beautiful. Hence one can see how cool it is to be called 'mumsy.'”
Hurray for Sinead O’Connor. As she herself said – she is not paid to look good. She is not a model. She is a musician and artist. And it is in that department that her latest album has been getting great reviews.
So I say ‘go Sinead’ – there are lots of us mums who while not exactly having given up on looking good but who are happy enough to look our age – and we are cheering you on! As for the Daily Mail – its great craic… as long as you don’t take most of it too seriously!
Note to self : check out Sinead’s new album. Her voice is so beautiful.
I so agree with your comments about Sinead O'Connor and her weight. It's all part of this idea that women, no matter what age, should be judged by their dress size. Sinead, with that talent of hers, has no need to try to measure up to this and more power to her elbow say I.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Barbara , why should a woman be publically scourged by the press for not keeping to their narrow defintion of beauty, - and why so harsh? There's a sense of triumph almost in the article, 'sad slide' indeed, she's a successful, and talented musician.
ReplyDeletehi dolly - stoopid blogspot acting up so have to post anonymously but I'm not - I'm Jan Morrison
ReplyDeleteI love Sinead O'Conner - still sing her song All Babies to my grandkids. And I've always admired her conviction to be nobody but herself. Hurrah!
Great post, Barbara.
ReplyDeleteSo hit me, I've commented on Sinead O'Connor. I've been one of the ones who has gone: "Look at her and how she's let herself go."
It's an observation that comes from remembering so clearly the elfin beauty who gave us a peerless version of "Nothing compares 2 u."
But, yes, I agree that the letting go, is just a further confirmation that Sinead is fearlessly being herself. And that's not to be sneezed at in these appearance obsessed days!
Hi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteWhy are some newspapers so fickle, I don't care about how others looks so why are they constantly pushing it into our faces!!
It is nice to see that there are like minded people here, I can now admire my life-lines and not go for botox (like my frienemy suggested!)
Best
Michelle
Good for Sinead, we just played her old songs recently on a trip, she has some talent.
ReplyDeleteI would say she has more important things in her life than obsessing about her dress size!!
Strange that 'mumsy' is used as an insult, the female pressure to be beautiful is ridicuous but some things never change.
I agree with Mari though, Sinead's 'Nothing compares 2u' has to be one of my all time favourites.
I hope Sineads new album is a huge success.
Thanks girls - should we form an online cheerleading group for Sinead O Connor who combines mumsy-ness with the voice of an angel and wonderful creativity
ReplyDeleteI adore Sinead! All Babies is one of my fave songs to sing to babies and other innocents. I don't know why the press is so damn goofy about women growing up!
ReplyDeleteHow brave are you?! Admitting that you read the Daily Mail... lol Seriously though, it's such a shame that the media promotes youthful, slim beauty as the desired way. None of us can hold onto our youth and few of us were slim and beautiful even when we did. Let's all grow old comfortably. That's what I think and I too love her voice... now where did I put my lippy and hairspray?
ReplyDeleteYes, but it's not just The Daily Mail, is it? Seems to me it's everywhere - this obsession with weight, looks, etc. Yes, there's an obesity problem with some kids but why does everything have to be taken to extremes? When my 7 year old daughter was born she was an inch taller than the average and cuddly. All my dreams had come true – against all the odds I’d produced a healthy baby who thrived from the word go.
ReplyDeleteNot so, according to the health nurse who weighed her at 3 months. She was a ‘fatty’ apparently and at risk of obesity. “How do you work that out?” I asked. Well, there’s this chart, you see, and my daughter weighed in above average. Whatever ‘average’ means. The fact that she was being fed purely on breast milk, supplemented with a few spoonfuls of veggies and rice pudding because she was gagging for the hard stuff was ‘shock and horror’ to the nurse. I was to cut back immediately. Resist at all costs! Being a second time round mother, I had the good sense to tell the nurse where to go and take my boucning baby home. Would a first time mother do the same thing, I wonder? And what is my daughter now? Above average height for her age and thriving.
And that’s all I have to say about that! Except for this: As a 'skinny' person I know for a fact men prefer padding.
Caren
Good for Sinead. She is now the wise crone and I am sure she is proud of herself. I am so proud of her.
ReplyDeletenice post dear blogger
ReplyDelete