Elaine Paige: Girls, if a man puts his hand on your bottom – just deal with it
WOMEN should simply ‘deal with it’ if a man puts his hand on their knee or bottom, Elaine Paige says. The 70-year-old star of the musicals Evita, Cats and Chess said more perspective was needed on the MeToo movement against harassment. Admitting she had been the subject of unwelcome advances, the West End actress insisted she did not want to get to the stage where men could not flirt with women. Asked if she had ever been propositioned by predatory men, she told The Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine: ‘Of course I have! My God! I would be really embarrassed to sit here and say that it never happened to me.’ However, she added: ‘We’ve got to get all of this in perspective.
‘Rape or any assault is completely unacceptable. But come on, girls, if a man puts his hand on your knee or your bum, deal with it. Are we really wanting to get to a stage when a man never flirts again? What a dreary life!
‘I’m thinking of getting a badge made saying “Cooee! I’m over here”.’
Her comments come after former Weakest Link host Anne Robinson said the MeToo generation were ‘wusses’.
The 73-year-old TV star said she was ‘really disappointed’ by the movement, which emerged after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of rape and sexual assault by more than 80 women last year.
Miss Robinson added: ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning that behaviour, but come on!’