A VIDEO FEATURING HELEN MIRREN GETTING INTERVIEWED IN
1975 IS GOING VIRAL, AND THE REASON IT IS GOING VIRAL IS
BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE IS SOME SEXISM THAT
EXIST TODAY, WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF THE WAY PEOPLE
INTERVIEW WOMEN ON THEIR SHOWS.
THIS INTERVIEW WAS DONE BY
MICHAEL PARKINSON AND APPARENTLY HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE TOTALLY
OKAY TO TALK ABOUT HER BODY, REFERRING TO HER BODY PARTS AS
EQUIPMENT, AND HE ACTUALLY OPENED THE INTERVIEW BY
REFERRING TO HELEN MIRROR AS SEX QUEEN, AMOROUS BOA CONSTRICTOR,
ESPECIALLY TELLING IN PROJECTING SLUTTY EROTICISM.
THAT'S INSANE.
IT'S 1975, AND I GET SEX QUEEN AND IT
DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT, IT'S NOT BY DEFINITION NECESSARILY
SEXIST, BUT AN AMOROUS BOA CONSTRICTOR AND PROJECTING
SLUTTY EROTICISM?
THAT IS HOW SHE GOT INTRODUCED TO THE INTERVIEW.
BY THE WAY SHE WAS PROMOTING HER UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF
MACBETH WITH THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY.
SLUTTY EROTICISM.
THAT ISNíT EVEN THE WORST PART.
HERE IS A SNIPPET FROM THE INTERVIEW AND TRY NOT TO
CRINGES YOU WATCH IT.
TAKE A LOOK.
DO YOU THINK WHAT IS BEST DESCRIBED AS YOUR EQUIPMENT
HINDERS YOU PERHAPS IN THAT
PURSUIT?
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ASK WHAT YOU MEAN BY MY EQUIPMENT.
WELL YOUR PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.
DO YOU MEAN MY FINGERS?
NO, I MEANT YOUR -
COME ON, SPIT IT OUT.
I MET YOUR FIGURE.
MY FIGURE.
SORRY, WHAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE QUESTION?
THE QUESTION WAS DO YOU FIND THAT YOUR FIGURE, YOUR
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES WHICH PEOPLE ALWAYS GO ON ABOUT HINDER YOU
AND YOUR PURSUIT OF THE AMBITIOUS OF BEING A
SUCCESSFUL ACTRESS?
AS A SUCCESSFUL ACTRESS BECAUSE ACTRESS
CAN'T HAVE A BIG BOSOM, IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN?
WELL THINK THEY MIGHT SORT OF DISTRACT FROM THE PERFORMANCE,
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I CAN'T THINK THAT COULD BE NECESSARILY TRUE, WHAT A CRUMMY
PERFORMANCE IF SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE SIS WITH THE SIZE OF THE
BOSOM THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
I WOULD HOPE THAT THE PERFORMANCE
AND THE PLAY IN THE LIVING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL OF THE
PEOPLE ON STAGE AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WOULD
OVERCOME SUCH BORING QUESTIONS REALLY.
AT THAT POINT, HE CHANGED THE SUBJECT IMMEDIATELY.
HE STARTED
TALKING ABOUT OTHER THINGS.
LOOK, IT WASN'T JUST WHAT HE WAS
ASKING HER AND HOW HE WAS ASKING HER, IT WAS THE FACT THAT HE
LITERALLY LOOKED DOWN AND STARED AT HER BOOBS AS HE IS DOING THIS
INTERVIEW, LIKE, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT MUST OF FELT
LIKE.
IS THERE A WAY TO TALK ABOUT HER FIGURE THAT IS RELEVANT TO A
CONVERSATION?
I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES.
SHOULD YOU BE
CAREFUL?
YES, YOU SHOULD
BE CAREFUL.
IN THE CONTEXT THAT HE DID IT, IT WAS NOT JUST
MISSING THE MARK, IT SEEMED TO BE PURPOSEFULLY SEXIST BECAUSE
HE SAID DOES IT TO TRACK FROM BEING A SERIOUS ACTRESS?
NO, BUT
THEN YOU ARE SAYING, HEY YOUR HOT.
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IS ONE
THING.
BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE HOT, WE CANNOT TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY.
THAT IS SORT OF THIS DEFINITION OF SEXISM, TO SAY TO SOMEONE,
I AM NOT TAKING YOU SERIOUSLY FOR WHAT YOUR REAL JOB IS
BECAUSE I AM TOO UPSET STARING AT YOUR BODY.
AND I WILL DO IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS INTERVIEW, I WILL START
YOUR BODY.
IT IS ALSO PRETTY MUCH ATTACKING HER FOR SOMETHING SHE
CANNOT CONTROL.
THE SIZE OF HER BREASTS.
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT IS
SOMETHING SHE DID ANYTHING ABOUT, THAT IS JUST THE NATURAL
SIZE OF HER BREASTS AND TO USE THAT AGAINST HER IS RIDICULOUS
AND BY THE WAY, SHE HAD COMMENTED ON THE INTERVIEW BACK
IN 2011 AND I LOVE WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY BUT EVEN THEN.
SHE SAYS
OUTRAGEOUS EXCAVATION LIKE THAT'S THE FIRST ARE SHOWING
EVER DONE DIE WAS TERRIFIED.
I WATCHED AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT,
BUT HE HELD.
I DID REALLY WELL.
I WAS SO YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED AND HE WAS SUCH A
FLOCKING SEXIST OLD FART THAT HE WAS.
HE DENIES IT TO THIS DAY
THAT IT WAS SEXIST, BUT OF COURSE
HE WAS.
I FEEL LIKE THAT IS HONESTLY AN EXAMPLE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
AS WELL, LIKE WHEN SOMEONE JUST BLATANTLY STARES AT YOUR BREASTS
AND TRIES TO MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE ABOUT IT.
IíLL DIVIDE THIS INTO TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
LET'S SAY
YOU ARE INTERVIEWING A STRIPPER.
IS IT OKAY TO TALK ABOUT HER
BREASTS?
I THINK THE
ANSWER IS OBVIOUSLY YES.
IT IS PART OF HER JOB.
THAT'S RIGHT.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT PEOPLE'S APPEARANCES IN
JOBS THAT ARE SOMEWHAT ABOUT
THEIR PARENTS IT, FOR EXAMPLE, US.
I THINK YOU CAN TALK ABOUT
IT, BUT BE A LITTLE CAREFUL BECAUSE OF THAT IS ALL YOU WERE
POSSESSED ABOUT AND ALL YOU CARE
ABOUT, THEN YOU ARE MISDIRECTED.
THE LAST PART OF IT IS, IF YOU
COMPLETE THE TWO THINGS AND YOU TALK ABOUT A WOMAN'S APPEARANCE
OR COMMANDS WHICH IS THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE BUT
DOESN'T HAPPEN AS OFTEN AND SAY THAT IS THE ONLY REASON THEY GOT
THE JOB OR SOMETHING ELSE, FOR EXAMPLE, I DO NOT EVEN ONCE
GIVEN EXAMPLE, BUT THERE HAS BEEN PEOPLE IN INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT POSITIONS OF POWER AND POLITICS IN THIS COUNTRY AND
OTHER COUNTRIES AND YOU ARE SITTING THERE TALKING ABOUT
THEIR ASS OR THEIR BOSOM OR WHATEVER IT IS, IT IS NOT JUST
DISRESPECTFUL, IT IS STUPID AND YES, THAT IS SEXIST BECAUSE WHAT
YOU ARE SAYING IS NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE, EVEN IF YOU ARE THE
PRIME MINISTER, THE HEAD OF OUR FOREIGN POLICY, I DO NOT CARE.
I AM ONLY GOING TO JUDGE YOU BASED ON YOUR PHYSICAL
APPEARANCE AND IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS THE
DEFINITION OF SEXISM, THEN YOU JUST DO NOT GET IT.
OR YOU JUST DO NOT WANT TO GET IN OF COURSE THERE ARE
PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO JUST DON'T WANT TO GET IT THAT THE ONE
THING THAT I WILL POINT TO IS THE STORY, EVEN THOUGH IT MADE
ME CRINGE WATCHING THE INTERVIEW, ALSO MADE ME FEEL A
LITTLE GOOD ABOUT WHERE WE ARE NOW BECAUSE OF THE INTERVIEW
TOOK PLACE TODAY, THE BACKLASH THAT THAT HOST WOULD FACE WOULD
BE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, AND SO WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS AND
THAT IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE.
FOR PEOPLE OUT THERE, ESPECIALLY
WOMEN, WHO HAVE THIS NEGATIVE
KNEE-JERK REACTION TO THE WORD MINISTER FEMINISM, UNDERSTAND
THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF STUFF THAT FEMINISM FOUGHT BACK
AGAINST.
DON'T LET RIGHT-WINGERS STILL THE
NARRATIVE OR CHANGE THE
NARRATIVE OF WHAT THE MINNIS TRY TO DO OR WANT TO DO.
THEY ARE NOT THERE TO TAKE THE RIGHTS AWAY FROM MEN, UNLESS
YOU CONSIDER BEING CREEPY DURING AN INTERVIEW A RIGHT THAT MEN
SHOULD HAVE.
TO BE FAIR TO THAT GUY, ALL PEOPLE CARED ABOUT WAS HELEN
MIRREN'S LOOKS AND DID SHE EVER WIND UP BECOMING A SERIOUS
ACTRESS?
NO, MAYBE NOT.
IT'S SO STUPID.
CAN WE HAVE A
DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THAT GUY
LOOKS?
REALLY?
IF YOU ARE GOING TO THROW STONES, YOU MIGHT WANT TO
LOOK OUT FOR THE GLASSHOUSE.
ARE YOU A SERIOUS TALK SHOW HOST?
IT APPEARS HE WASN'T THOUGH TO BE FAIR.