Helen Mirren, the celebrated British actress, has always been outspoken about gender equality — in and outside of Hollywood — but this time she has a very specific bone to pick. “It annoys me when I see men with an arm slung round their girlfriend’s shoulders. It’s like ownership. Of course, when you’re young you want the guy to take your hand and look after you”, Mirren said in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, adding: “But when I see girls being leaned on, I want to say, ‘Tell him to get his damned arm off your shoulder’.” Mirren suggested that women still have a long way to go in terms of gender equality, saying they are “still toddlers in this modern world, trying to find their position in the age of sexual liberation, birth control, education and financial independence”. She went on to speak about marrying at a later age (as she did, at 52) saying it was a “very good idea” — echoing comments she made earlier this year at the Women in the World Summit in New York, where she argued that the most important thing to teach our daughters was to “gain financial independence.”
Read the full story at The Telegraph.
Helen is such a relic and a FemNazi. Get over yourself and mind your own business. We love men putting their arm around us. It is affection and not ownership.
Honestly? People who so vehemently argue for gender equality in this manners are doing nothing but a disservice to our generation. There is nothing wrong with a man putting his arm around his girlfriend. It sounds like she is automatically assuming that he is doing it in a possessive manner (stereotype?), when in fact, that may not be the case at all. Also, if we are so “equal”, then it would be up to the woman to refute him. Maybe she likes his possessiveness….and shouldn’t she have the freedom to choose?
Stop the overbearing and ridiculous commentary like this and gender equality will make much larger leaps and bounds.
I feel loved and protected and safe when my boyfriend has his arms around me. I also most often have my arm around him too when he does it. I don’t see anything wrong or sexist about a guy having his arm around his girlfriend or wife.
Funny that she should mention ownership. Personally, I’m annoyed when rich, famous a**holes think they can tell unimportant peons like me and my wife how we ought to live our lives. Whether I like putting my arm around my wife’s shoulders, or if she puts her arms around mine, or both, or neither, is none of Helen Mirren’s business.
I love Helen Mirren and all, but isn’t this what people get annoyed with about feminists? It’s just every little thing. But also, isn’t the entire point of feminism a woman’s right? What if a woman likes have an arm slung around her? Is that not okay with Helen Mirren? I’m a gay man and I have to say, I love having my boyfriends arm around my shoulder, it just feels nice. I certainly don’t feel owned. If this is something she doesn’t like a man to do to her, then fine, but who is she to judge other women?