Meg

“The rise of a hypersexual culture is not proof that we have reached full equality; rather, it has reflected and exaggerated the deeper imbalances of power in our society. Without thoroughgoing economic and political change, what we see when we look around us is not the equality we once sought; it is a stalled revolution.”
― Natasha Walter, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism

“We cannot pretend that this is all about women as victims, when many women are deeply complicit in creating and selling this culture.”
― Natasha Walter, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism

“While girls have always been encouraged to see self-decoration as a central part of their lives, today they are also exposed to a deluge of messages, even at an early age, about the importance of becoming sexually attractive. These dolls are just a fragment of a much wider culture in which young women are encouraged to see their sexual allure as their primary passport to success.
This highly sexualised culture is often positively celebrated as a sign of women's liberation and empowerment.”
― Natasha Walter, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism

“What's more, throughout much of our society, the image of female perfection to which women are encouraged to aspire has become more and more defined by sexual allure. Of course wanting to be sexually attractive has always and will always be a natural desire for both men and women, but in this generation a certain view of female sexuality has become celebrated throughout advertisements, music, television programmes, films and magazines. This image of female sexuality has become more than ever defined by the terms of the sex industry.”
― Natasha Walter, Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism