Men relish denouncing 1970s sexism while still repeatedly saying âtitsâ
Shocking revelations about how senior figures from the world of entertainment got away with sexual harassment, combined with an unlimited appetite for instant nostalgia among those who grew up with Spangles and Raleigh Choppers, are creating an ideal situation for middle-aged men. For those who get paid to pass sardonic comment on long-forgotten sitcoms where âdirty old menâ leered at âdolly birdsâ, it is better still. âIncredible,â said David Baddiel, after watching an episode of The Professionals in which Bodie calmly fished a grenade out of a screaming Pamela Stephensonâs top. âNot only did they think itâs OK to have him rip her thin blouse wide open and slap her face to calm her down, they also have her look up at him doe-eyed and grateful for casually brushing the residue off her tits afterwards. Rescuing a woman, however heroically, does not automatically entitle you to touch her tits. Shocking.â Channel 4â²s new âIt Was Alright in the 70sâ has shone a light on the sheer extent of casual sexism on TV at the time. âIt was the perfect storm, really,â said media analyst Ged Carson. âThere were only three channels and commissioning was in the hands of men young enough to be aware of the sexual revolution of the 1960s but too old to have benefitted from it themselves. Not surprisingly, there was an excessive focus on tits.â Moreover, with feminism still to find its feet, it was still culturally acceptable in the 1970s for beauty pageants to be televised live from seaside resorts. In many cases, shocked celebrity watchers noted over self-explanatory footage, cameras blatantly panned straight at the contestantsâ tits while male presenters asked them fatuous yes-no questions that made them look like airheads. Even Terry Wogan took part, laughingly telling a girl in a bikini she was âbig for 16â², which most now take to be a reference to her tits. However, many believe that we have not really moved on very far from those dark days. âAll too many men still try to attract women by ostensibly advertising their non-sexist credentials while still reducing them to a collection of body parts by gratuitously chucking in words like âfannyâ, âknickersâ and âarseâ,â said post-modern man Josh Branston. âIn fact, the author of this story is doing precisely that right now. And so, as a matter of fact, am I, a fictional character. Perhaps if we feed the loop back long enough, it will create a paradox that will cause the universe to implode? Naah, probably not. Tits.â