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Just to say

(166 Posts)
Ladyleftfieldlover Sun 14-Jul-24 18:49:57

On page 49 of today’s Observer - the main section - Catherine Bennett mentions the Gransnet ‘Angela Rayner ghastly trouser suit’ discussion.

C Bennett wasn’t amused.

Marydoll Mon 15-Jul-24 08:38:29

Recently I attended a Glasgow meet up. I thought I looked OK, until I saw a photo of myself. Oh dear! I think I may need new underwear!! 😱

On the other hand, I have been dissastisfied on many occasions with my appearance, yet someoneone has complemented me.

I never get it right.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 15-Jul-24 08:39:13

kittylester

Are we supposed to be worried about Catherine Bennet's opinion?

Apparently so. I couldn’t care less what she thinks of GN. I noticed that her article bore the most flattering photo I’ve yet seen of AR in the trouser suit.

As someone said above, it reminds me why I don’t read the Guardian.

BlueBelle Mon 15-Jul-24 08:42:27

Perhaps it’s a wake up call to new posters that they can appear in newspapers etc so details of families or other identifying sentences really are a no no
We do try warning new posters but they often take no notice

The suns out today so I m now going to put my widelegged multi coloured boho thin trousers on with a white sleeveless top anyone want a go at me ? 🤣🤣🤣

olddog Mon 15-Jul-24 08:43:52

Marydoll

Recently I attended a Glasgow meet up. I thought I looked OK, until I saw a photo of myself. Oh dear! I think I may need new underwear!! 😱

On the other hand, I have been dissastisfied on many occasions with my appearance, yet someoneone has complemented me.

I never get it right.

If you got dressed and turned up , that's a win!

I'm sure I look a sorry sight, which is one of the reasons I clocked the aforementioned trouser suit as a rather odd choice but said nothing.

BlueBelle Mon 15-Jul-24 08:46:48

Forgot the pic
So if you see me out give me a wave

Callistemon213 Mon 15-Jul-24 08:57:24

BlueBelle

Forgot the pic
So if you see me out give me a wave

Very nice.
We'll look out for you striding into No.10

Don't forget your waterproof.

nanna8 Mon 15-Jul-24 08:57:53

I didn’t read the thread because I thought the topic was boring and I have no idea who the woman is anyway. I would have thought at our age discussing people’s clothes was kind of passé. More a teenage sort of thing.

Joseann Mon 15-Jul-24 09:05:22

Interesting comment there nanna8. However, if you look at say Arts and Culture, (which I love discussing), on GN it has five times fewer threads than Style and Beauty. So many older women obviously don't find fashion boring.

kittylester Mon 15-Jul-24 09:07:07

Personally, it's suggest a woolie as well, Bluebelle

I love the outfit but would need to see it on really!! grin

BigMamma Mon 15-Jul-24 09:08:25

kittylester

Are we supposed to be worried about Catherine Bennet's opinion?

I think people should be worried that when they post comments about their family and friends are being shown on the general internet. I for one, should have read the rules as I did not know that any comments we made will be put out there for the entire country to read.

This now makes any asking for help from the forums regarding family and money troubles are out of the question, especially for me.

I am now leaving the forums for good as I truly expected any comments I made to be kept within the Gransnet forums and not be posted on the World wide web.

M0nica Mon 15-Jul-24 09:09:26

I do not think anyone is denying that the thread on AR's trouser ssuit was unpleasant, but was it anymore unpleasant than CB's article which was partial in both its report on what was said on the thread and did a disservice to the run of threads on GN.

But is it any worse than the way such journalism works, one hasty word or comment by someone, even uttered 10 or more years ago, and it is resurrected and waved around and brandished to prove that that person is inherently racist, transphobic, a male supremecist or whatever the latest fashionable hate crime is, despite everything that person may have done, causes they may have supported that clearly showed that the remark was unrepresentative, quoted out of context or just inacurate.

We are now being nailed to the cross and this rather nasty article will be quoted as being representative of what GN is like for the next 50 years.

pascal30 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:10:24

Grantanow

I thought the Gransnet comments on AR's trouser suit were catty. I don't care what she wears. As Chou Enli said,'I don't care whether the cat is black or white so long as it catches mice.'

Absolutely..

eazybee Mon 15-Jul-24 09:11:51

Absolutely right, Callistemon; Boris Johnson wore appropriate clothes, suit shirt, tie, for work,but always looked a mess, whether deliberately or naturally I couldn't say, and was much criticised from all quarters for his appearance.
Professionals need to dress smartly to instil confidence, for example nurses, air hostesses, lawyers are usually immaculate, whereas doctors, teachers and pharmacists increasingly affect the disordered look.

Callistemon213 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:12:18

Oh dear, BigMamma, yes, perhaps more awareness should be made of this.

You could always ask for anything too personal to be deleted by reporting your own posts.
Then perhaps come back with a different name.

I was startled to find that Gransnetters are often quoted in a publication Down Under!

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 15-Jul-24 09:13:07

Anyone can read what is posted on Gransnet BigMamma. It’s not a private forum.

Callistemon213 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:16:07

eazybee

Absolutely right, Callistemon; Boris Johnson wore appropriate clothes, suit shirt, tie, for work,but always looked a mess, whether deliberately or naturally I couldn't say, and was much criticised from all quarters for his appearance.
Professionals need to dress smartly to instil confidence, for example nurses, air hostesses, lawyers are usually immaculate, whereas doctors, teachers and pharmacists increasingly affect the disordered look.

Whether or not Bennett's piece was deliberately ironic is difficult to ascertain.

Her piece in the Guardian was just as bad as some of the comments on GN. 😁

Apparently Boris cultivates the wild hair look. I don't have to try myself, mine's naturally wild.

Baggs Mon 15-Jul-24 09:17:18

Just to say: "Free speech and freely" is what's important.

Always.

Currently reading the excellent book Free Speech: a global history from Socrates to social media by Jacob Mchangama. Try it before listening to people who say "you shouldn't say that".

AGAA4 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:27:38

Many on GN are or have been professional people and would never have dreamt of writing down what they actually thought about people but kept their views private.

However much you dislike someone for their politics criticising their looks, clothes, accent or anything else personal to them should not be posted on a public forum.

Primrose53 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:28:41

eazybee

The fact remains, Angela Rayner looked a mess.

The pretentious article by C. Bennett reminded me why I never read the Guardian.

Nicely summed up Eazybee.

CB would say that since she is writing for the most leftwing paper. I notice she did not stand up for ARs horrible trouser suit - presumably because there was nothing to stand up for. 😉

To those who are saying they would like to see what GNpeople wear just remember, we are not Deputy Prime Minister.

Siope Mon 15-Jul-24 09:32:18

I doubt the press scans Gransnet. They do routinely check Mumsnet, so I assume the vitriol from here was picked up because it was quoted there.

For others who may not have been aware, not only is this a public forum, but I expect (I’ve never checked the T&C) any content we post becomes the property of Mumsnet to use as they wish. That’s certainly the case for most forums.

Casdon Mon 15-Jul-24 09:36:58

I don’t like being tainted with the same brush as people who can’t recognise when a line has been crossed and who therefore get Gransnet mentioned in the press. It’s just a good job that no journalists picked up on the thread before the worst comments were deleted, or it wouldn’t just have been the Guardian reporting on that thread.
Lots of us love talking about clothes, but please can we just stick to the clothes only in future?

Siope Mon 15-Jul-24 09:43:36

Pretty sure also that while I doubt Guardian/other journalists scan GN they’ll have Google alerts set up for their own names, so any posted here would be flagged to them.

Hi, Catherine, if I’m correct.

OldFrill Mon 15-Jul-24 09:43:49

Siope

I doubt the press scans Gransnet. They do routinely check Mumsnet, so I assume the vitriol from here was picked up because it was quoted there.

For others who may not have been aware, not only is this a public forum, but I expect (I’ve never checked the T&C) any content we post becomes the property of Mumsnet to use as they wish. That’s certainly the case for most forums.

Posts and comments on Gransnet show in Google (and the like) searches so no requirement to scan Gransnet or be a member.
There was massive media reaction to the trousers suit and the Gransnet post currently comes up in the top ten of searches.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 15-Jul-24 09:45:13

We are getting some very self-righteous posts on here. It seems freedom of speech is only allowed if the listener is of the same view as the speaker.

Callistemon213 Mon 15-Jul-24 09:45:52

Lots of us love talking about clothes, but please can we just stick to the clothes only in future?

I think most of us did and thst was ignored by Bennett, Casdon but, of course, that does not make sensational journalism!