She Refuses To Kneel At The Altar Of The Penis
December 9, 2010 No Comments
Helen Mirren is sick of penis. Specifically she is sick of the reverence given to them in Hollywood.
In a beautiful speech given at the Women In Entertainment awards, she eloquently summed up the problems faced by women in the entertainment industry, and the world at large.
“Unappreciated, underused and ill-used,” she began.
“Undervalued, undernourished, uneducated, unsung. What is happening to that incredible global resource called women, the only future of the human race?”
She spoke about the lack of good roles for older women in the film industry, a state of affairs that had her nab a plum male role in The Tempest.
“Really not too much has changed in the canon of Hollywood film-making that continues to worship at the altar of the 18- to 25-year-old male and his penis.”
“Quite small, I always think,” she added.
This speech is far more than the sum of its sound bites and is well worth the time to watch it.
Afterward, when asked how she felt about being a sex symbol at her age, she replied:
“A bit cross, actually. We have to let go of this crap. It creates even more pressure on women, and I certainly don’t want to be a part of that. I’m not beautiful: I clean up nice … The fact that I look good at the age I am is bloody irrelevant.”
Contact the author here: mick@morningquickie.com
