Just to say

It’s so easy to get it wrong when buying clothes. I follow a lovely lady in her sixties with a lifestyle channel on YouTube, and she says since she’s been videoing herself trying clothes on as opposed to just looking at the mirror in a changing room, it’s completely altered the way she shops and what she now realises suits her. I’ve tried it, and she’s definitely right in my case.

Joseann

Marydoll

For the ones that make fun of other peoples dress, I wish they would post a photo of themselves so we can see how they dress.

This!

Several did post photos of their own clothes - without themselves in them though! 😆

The clothes may have been very nice, but did they suit the wearer? 😉

Tuaim, that made me laugh.

I feel exactly the same!

Marydoll

^For the ones that make fun of other peoples dress, I wish they would post a photo of themselves so we can see how they dress.^

This!

Several did post photos of their own clothes - without themselves in them though! 😆

M0nica

Completely agree with you Bluebelle but that is no excuse for a journlist looking for an easy target to get self-righteous about us whe it is only one in many hundreds of threads.

I wonder if the journalist actually read ALL the 1000 posts? If she did, she would realise that the comments she quoted were in a tiny, tiny minority. The majority of the thread consisted of a) random discussion about clothes of all styles and colours and b) people criticising the one or two "ferocious" comments and c) a group of posters trying to inject some humour, (often in a self deprecating manner), to lighten the mood.

Marydoll

^For the ones that make fun of other peoples dress, I wish they would post a photo of themselves so we can see how they dress.^

This!

Yes, I agree. In fact self reflection begins at home. We have a local ladies fashion store where the lighting is unkind, truthful and indeed sobering. I tried a dress on in one of their changing rooms and the woman in the mirror was most certainly not me! I don't know who she was but she was there again yesterday when by mistake I turned my mobile 'phone to selfie. Oh, well she seems a nice enough companion so I'll let her stick around.

For the ones that make fun of other peoples dress, I wish they would post a photo of themselves so we can see how they dress.

This!

Casdon

It doesn’t surprise me at all that it’s been picked up. The worst element (apart from the ferocity and mendacity of some of the insults), was the complete lack of awareness of where the line actually is when criticising others, despite lots of people pointing that out and trying to steer it back on course. I hope this article gives people pause for thought. Gransnet can be horrible sometimes but this plumbed the depths.

I totally agree, there are quite a few vicious grans on here that think they own the forums and I have thought about leaving but instead I just ignore their posts and concentrate on the decent ones.

For the ones that make fun of other peoples dress, I wish they would post a photo of themselves so we can see how they dress.

Macadia

This kind of brings a new perspective on using Gransnet because in order to post, you must register as a user and verify a valid email address. Although the discussion may have been in poor taste, it seems that Catherine Bennett taking the GN discussion and posting it in a public newspaper was in poor taste also.

GN is a public and anyone can read posts. Posters sometimes forget this. You only need to register if you want to post.

It was a very unpleasant thread in my opinion.

I was also appalled when the harpies hijacked another thread and turned it into series of weak trouser suit puns and random pictures of women in trouser suits. But then I'm just a "fun sponge."

Perhaps it is a reminder that no one knows who is contributing and reading forums such as this. Many contributors give a lot of information about their personal lives and post photos, which once out there remain forever.
Just saying.

Completely agree with you Bluebelle but that is no excuse for a journlist looking for an easy target to get self-righteous about us whe it is only one in many hundreds of threads.

Well I feel clean I thought it was a disgusting thread and couldn’t be more ashamed of some of comments made
No fault at all in not liking someone or not liking their dress sense but some of the awful vitriolic, personal, comments were shameful

Quite, MOnica.

So Catherine Bennett concentrated on one thread in how many and used it as typical of Gransnet?

How typical of certain kind of self righteous and holier than thou journalism some left wing women journalists like to indulge in.

Ignore all those threads when we have given help and advice to members in distress. threads where people have thanked us for our kindness and helpfulness. Ignore the threads where we have serious discussion about politics, indulge in frivolity and just concentrate on one that was not very nice and should ahve been stopped.

Typical

In future, look out for the harsh one or two liners that are thrown into discussions to incite other posters to either join or challenge. It fuels these toxic discussions and before you know it people are taking to their key boards as they never have before. Every piece of writing has an audience and the potency of the author's creation is only tested by audience response. Fascinating to observe the manipulative control some posters have over 'their' audience.

The fact remains, Angela Rayner looked a mess.

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

Vito

Totally agree with her. That discussion was an absolute disgrace. I could believe the amount of people who jumped on board. No I didn't read it all, the first few squalid posts were enough for me.

same here, I was shocked to learn that so many posters were `gutter-driven`

This kind of brings a new perspective on using Gransnet because in order to post, you must register as a user and verify a valid email address. Although the discussion may have been in poor taste, it seems that Catherine Bennett taking the GN discussion and posting it in a public newspaper was in poor taste also.

foxie48

I doubt this thread will make 1,000 posts. The thread that she is discussing was in poor taste and IMO should be consigned to the dustbin, where it belongs, unfortunately it now has an almost indestructible online presence!

This.

I doubt this thread will make 1,000 posts. The thread that she is discussing was in poor taste and IMO should be consigned to the dustbin, where it belongs, unfortunately it now has an almost indestructible online presence!

The only time to worry is when that is the only thing we have an opinion on.

Seeing ourselves as others see us…

I think she is wrong to say that Meghan's clothes are a target for female bitching. Certainly on GN I've never seen that, other than someone criticising the dress she wore to a polo match. Meghan always looks well dressed.
I totally missed the comment about the VPL, but maybe it got lost amongst the dozens of complimentary comments about others' outfits, including AR's red dress, and her white dress last week.

Bumface

Relieved that I was not the only one who found it heroically unfunny.

Actually that's not fair several people expressed disapproval.

Unfortunately the Guardian article gave the impression that the posts were all in the same vein as OP's "either no bra or a badly fitted one" about Angela Raynor or another poster's comment about Lisa Nandy's VPL. The comment about AR looking like a tart was also mentioned although it was, quite rightly reported and taken down.