Downton Daisy’s fury at ‘society bible’ sex slur
APPEARING on a list of the most ‘selectable delectable eligibles’ in Britain should be a compliment for anyone – but not actress Daisy Lewis. The Downton Abbey star was left ‘shocked and upset’ after Tatler magazine described her as ‘loud’ in bed in its Little Black Book.
The magazine was forced to issue an apology yesterday after Daisy hit out at the society bible for its ‘misogynistic’ description of her on the annual list of singles with ‘mesmerising beauty and brilliant brains’.
The article in the December issue says: ‘As Daisy is quite small, you might be tricked into believing she’s quiet. LOL. She isn’t. This actress is loud. Which makes her fun at a party. And in bed. Probably.’
After catching sight of the edition, Daisy tweeted her astonishment on Friday: ‘I’m really shocked and upset by this. But thankfully I’m “loud” enough to say it. Does anyone at Tatler read the news? #misogyny #loudwomen.’ She told me last night: ‘It seemed a bit archaic but I don’t think they meant to be mean.
‘I found it inappropriate in the current climate. It reminded me of a lads’ mag. It was supposed to be witty and I don’t want to be the fun police but at the end of the day, women are all in this together and it felt cheap and not funny. It felt like school bullying. I can’t let that kind of stuff fly. This could affect my profession.’
Tatler apologised ‘unreservedly’ on Twitter yesterday and announced it will be publishing a full apology in its next issue. Tibbs Jenkins, Tatler’s social editor, told me: ‘Daisy is an old friend of mine. I know she’s complained on Twitter and she’s spoken to me personally about it. We are all cool now. I didn’t mean to be rude.’
The faux pas by one of the oldest magazines in the world comes as Hollywood and Westminster have been engulfed in sexual harassment scandals, shining a light on how women are treated and spoken about.
The article sparked uproar on Twitter. One angry reader said: ‘Christ Daisy that’s such sexist crap. Tatler should apologise and go on a course.’
Another added: ‘Utterly appalled. What hope do we have if magazines FOR WOMEN are treating women so poorly.’
Tatler is famous for its irreverent humour, but sometimes it can backfire. The magazine was criticised in 2013 for a three-page spread on the ‘best society breasts’, which compared the cleavages of 34 famous women from Princess Eugenie to TV presenter Clare Balding.