101 YEARS OLD AND STILL DEMANDING PARITY...
TODAY’S appeal is on behalf of a vast section of our society who have for far too long been ignored, unjustly treated or otherwise discriminated against. As a member of this group myself, I can justly claim to understand how you all feel and absolutely agree with those who say it is time to call a halt to this outrageous behaviour. And that is why I have decided to found #NotMe.
We have heard a great deal in recent months from supporters of the #MeToo movement, whose outspoken comments I heartily endorse and whose stories have earned my deepest sympathies, but #NotMe is a protest group of a very different nature.
Every day more scandals are revealed about the abuses inflicted by men in positions of authority. At last, their victims’ voices are being heard, which one must wholeheartedly applaud but little sympathy has been given to those of us who have been held back but are still not being heard.
My own case is typical: I have never been given the opportunity to offer sexual services in exchange for career advancement; I have not been given pay rises for wearing provocative clothing; I have not even been offered £150 (plus £25 for a taxi home) for dressing in a skimpy skirt and stiletto heels at a gentlemen’s dinner.
Needless to say, I would not, or at least would probably not, have accepted any such invitations, but not having been given the opportunity is a form of discrimination that has left me feeling under-appreciated.
I have not been groped, harassed or even had my knee fondled and the long-term effect of being ignored in such a manner can be highly damaging to one’s personal prestige and selfconfidence.
The young ladies who were paid these sums to attend the Presidents Club charity dinner were, I am assured, all tall, thin and attractive. Well I too am well-proportioned and attractive, even if I do say so myself, and I am sure my height compares well with that of the aforementioned young ladies.
Even just being offered £25 for my taxi home would be appreciated sometimes. Late-night buses and trains can be such a depressing way to end an otherwise enjoyable evening.
The French actress Catherine Deneuve has recently expressed reservations about the climate created by #MeToo which, she said, has created a “witch-hunt” that threatens to lead to a new “puritanism” threatening people’s sexual freedom (whatever that may mean). “I don’t think it is the right method to change things, it is excessive,” she said.
The right method, of course, is to give the members of #NotMe the right to speak out as well and protest, with one strident voice, at the way the system has held us back and failed to give us the opportunity to promote ourselves and take short cuts to further our careers.
If Mademoiselle Deneuve wishes to become the first President of #NotMe, she will (subject to contract) be welcomed with open arms, which will only close into a hug at her express request, in writing, in triplicate.