Pretty isn't the Question

John Bercow: "you're ALL pretty, guys!"

Last month Commons Speaker John Bercow told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that women MPs find Prime Minister's Questions "so bad" that they increasingly refuse to take part. No one really went for it. Which is odd because if your local MP is a woman and you wish her to represent you, or give her money to big up Fiji or something, then you need her to take part in PMQs. Last week a hotline was launched for MPs and staff to report harassment. Last month Beyonce launched a hashtag campaign asking #whatispretty? and recently Dove released the results of a survey that revealed 90% of women feel bad when they look in the mirror, they have begun The Beauty Project with Selfridges. We know women have a confidence problem. So why do we keep addressing it only by treating the surface?

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Bercow said that for some women MPs: " "histrionics and cacophony of noise are so damaging as to cause them to look elsewhere..."I'm sorry if some of those people are lost to the chamber because they think, 'I won't take part in that atmosphere.' "I think it is a big deal. I think it is a real problem. A number of seasoned parliamentarians, who are not shrinking violets, not delicate creatures at all, are saying, 'This is so bad that I am not going to take part, I am not going to come along, I feel embarrassed by it'". 

This is a huge problem. Part of why it is such a huge problem is finding the most advantageous way to solve it. Turning to these women and saying 'if you can't hack it, get out' is one solution. But is it the right solution? Do you want your MP to be in it for the adrenalin rush of shouting 'AH' in a smug way when someone has to admit they made a mistake? No. Not really, or I don't. 

Perhaps we should tell all these women MPs they are so pretty and then they'd feel totally better about themselves. I mean, it's like Beyonce says, "what is pretty?" But Bey also sings that pretty hurts. 

Do we need to readdress MPs' sexism or address sexism?

So that's out. We could go the Dove way and tell all the lady MPs they're fine just as they are. Especially if they use Dove products which are down with you ageing. Just ageing in a more moistened way, yeah? Women MPs you look JUST FINE! Will that do it? 

Well, I fear it's a little more deep seated than that. Does that mean we need to entirely readdress parliamentary etiquette? With less shouting. Weren't we supposed to get rid of that Punch and Judy style ages ago?

Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham commented that: "Anything that people can use as a tool to put people off their stride, they will do, whether that's your weight, which team you support, your gender, or your sexuality, you'll hear those comments."

Do we need to readdress MPs' sexism or address sexism? The answer might be the latter. We know that currently that members of the Commons are hardly leaders in changing attitudes for the better. We need to be clear as self-identifying women that the problem is not about how we look. It's about how we are regarded. We need to be clear that we, the voters, find sexism unacceptable. And if anybody can shout someone down...it's us. 

Squeamish Kate