Tory feminists: the true blue sisterhood
Published: Thursday, January 12, 2012
Who says feminists can only be leftwing? An influential group of Conservative women MPs are increasingly vocal about the need to tackle gender equality. With radical views on parenting and work, can free-market feminism leave its mark?
The woman in the photograph is smiling a fixed, red-lipsticked smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. Snapped against a wall, she wears a black T-shirt with the words "This is what a feminist looks like" in defiant white letters across her chest. She was part of a campaign four years ago to challenge assumptions about feminism, and she encapsulates both why it was needed and how fast things can change. For the model is Theresa May, and, as her expression suggests, at the time this was a decidedly risky stunt for her.