Nigella Lawson recently wore a 'burquini' on a beach in Australia and caused uproar in the national tabloids. The Daily Mail declared that she looked 'utterly daft' and Judith Woods for the Telegraph went so far as to say that Nigella had 'betrayed her own brand' by choosing to cover up on the beach, thereby apparently negating all she's ever said about liking her body, enjoying food and celebrating curves. People have very quickly refuted the fact that she might have covered up to protect her skin - despite the fact that Nigella's mother, sister and late husband all died of varying forms of cancer, and Nigella is a supporter of the Lavender Trust which helps women with breast cancer. It's also worth remembering that Nigella has pale skin and she was on a beach in Australia which sits right below the biggest hole in the O-Zone layer... But the reason she decided to wear burquini really is irrelevant. This a clear case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" - had pictures been published of Nigella in a string bikini alongside her slender friend, the tabloids would have been out with their red-pens and "Circles of Shame" to highlight her cellulite, her tummy rolls, her fat thighs... and would have gleefully declared that they were right all along: you can eat all the Nigella's Chocolate Fudge Cake you want... but don't dare go out in public afterwards and show yourself to be anything less than picture perfect! Woods asks: "does [Nigella] not give a damn at all? Does she give a damn just too darned much? Is she hiding her thighs or concealing an ill-judged tattoo?"
and seems to be outraged by both the idea that Nigella might be so ashamed of her body that she chooses to cover up in a burquini (though she decrees that a tankini or a kaftan would have been fine), and by the idea the idea that Nigella really might not give a damn - about being photographed , about what people would think, about how she would look, or how people would analyse her choice. In Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards argued that
'feminism isn't about what choice you make, but the freedom to make that choice.' I think the real reason there was so much made of Nigella's burquini is that so many people just couldn't understand how she'd been able to make that choice in the first place, and ignore the 'choice' presented to us the media and beauty industry: look good, lose weight, remove all your body hair or accept the ridicule that will be poured on you as punishment for not achieving this Feminine Ideal. If you wear a bikini and are less than body perfect then you will be scorned and abused for it, but don't worry! If you lose the weight, shave your legs, and have your boobs lifted you'll be rewarded with glowing accolades of your 'hard work' and dedication.
Nigella has looked at these options and said No, thanks to both - and then gone for a third option which she decided on herself. This, naturally, outrages the people who make the rules and the only form of revenge seems to be public scorn and tabloid fury.
Luckily, Nigella really doesn't seem to give a damn.
Clara xx
No comments:
Post a Comment