- Conference
- 2003 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 23 October 2002
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned about the promotion of ever more restrictive and narrowly defined images of girls and women together with similarly narrow definitions of femininity in what Anna Ford so aptly dubbed body fascism, and the relationship between this and the increase in anorexia and bulimia in girls and young women.
This is most notably demonstrated in the tabloid press and ‘women’s magazines which seem obsessed with their view of how women should look, what they should wear and what is and is not attractive. Their vilificition of women celebrities in the sports and entertainment fields who do not conform to these images is as unnecessary as it is unjustified, but more importantly it is the impact this has upon body and fashion conscious girls and young women, and the knock on effect for all women.
In her ‘Guardian’ column, Julie Burchill has rightly lambasted ‘The Daily Mail’ which she claimed “has created thousands more anorexics than ‘Vogue’ because ‘Vogue’ merely shows thin women while ‘The Daily Mail’ keeps up a non-stop commentary on the weight gain of famous women and links it directly to their sexual orientation and career success. For a newspaper so opposed to the Nanny State, it certainly does a good imitation of a prize nag.” Burchill goes on to argue that such images are entirely male defined, are there to keep women in their place and therefore women who dare to flout such images and seem not to care what men think must be castigated and brought into line regardless of whether this is desirable, necessary or what they actually want, and more importantly in terms of anorexia/bulimia regardless of whether this is good for their mental and physical health.
Conference agrees that this notion must be challenged, that women must be allowed to be who they are, to express themselves as they wish and to define their own image of themselves. Anything less will result in more and more girls and young women falling victim to anorexia and bulimia and the suffering that these disorders entail.
Conference also agrees that as the largest trade union in Europe with around 1 million women members, UNISON must take a lead in this and campaign for changes in images of women in society and try to promote a more positive approach centred on women’s definitions of themselves thereby freeing women from the narrow images promoted by the extant male dominated view.
Conference therefore instructs the National Womens’ Committee to work with the National Executive Council to:
1)Challenge the prevailing male dominated views of women in society;
2)Promote women’s definitions of themselves based on a woman-centred approach;
3)Publicise the dangers of anorexia and bulimia and the link between these disorders and current images of women in society;
4)Raise this issue through all available channels.