Star-studded essays at centre of row
SCARLETT CURTIS: ‘I didn’t know I was a feminist until I was 15... While my 15-yearold self was wrong about a lot of things, she was right about one thing. Feminists are rare birds... who fly above us, trying to look down and see the world for what it is.’
SAOIRSE RONAN, ACTRESS: ‘Feminism, for me, is the quiet kid in the corner of the classroom who doesn’t talk much. The kid you don’t even notice is there, until one day you’re performing in the annual school show and she takes centre stage, only to belt out a Whitney ballad like nobody’s business. Boy, do you take notice of her then.’
DOCTOR WHO’S JODIE WHITTAKER: ‘Mum, am I feminist? Are you a feminist? Mum, what’s a feminist? It was the early 90s, and the word was new to me. It had been said angrily – sort of spat at me by some lad, when I’d argued about something. Apparently my short hair and unshaven armpits were all the proof he needed.’
US ACTIVIST ELYSE FOX: ‘I’ve learned feminism isn’t a corporate scam. The world needs the reassurance that feminism can create monumental change.’