Icon, songwriter, and activist Annie Lennox has always been a trailblazer for women’s rights and the extreme injustices they face.
It should come as no surprise then, that in 2017, just months after Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States (and made us believe the devil was alive and well) those in the public eye were called upon for their views on feminism.
The 64-year-old luminary and the Eurythmics linchpin was interviewed by British TV station Channel 4 News on International Women’s Day 2017 in London. Lennox was speaking at the march organised by the charity Care International.
As the founder of international women’s-rights nongovernmental organisation The Circle, Lennox has been on a mission to popularise global feminism since before her gender-
“Feminism has always been something that causes tremendous polarity and division,” she told Channel 4 News. “And the great deal of confusion around feminism [is that] people use it in different ways.”
Lennox said feminism is about human rights, the protection of women, justice and equality. Crucially though, she said the involvement of men in the ongoing feminist movement is integral to progress.
“Otherwise we’re just at odds with each other […] I actually think that the locker room talk of our current President of America has worked as a kind of catalyst.”
Lennox said the recording and distribution of Trump’s “Grab ’em by the pussy” comment in 2005 served as a wake-up call for women.
“You see, grabbing is next to violence, is next to raping. It’s not that far away, they’re just steps,” she said. “So I think the fact that this has happened is a good thing for the women’s movement.”
Speaking of Trump’s win in late 2016 and his inauguration in January 2017, Annie Lennox said that while many reeled in shock and sheer horror, she was sadly not confused at all.
“To be honest I’m not really surprised. It’s so common. It’s the norm,” she said. “From my perspective growing up as a teenage girl in the ’50s, and ’60s, and ’70s, that [misogynistic mentality] was all fine. ‘Grab them by the…’ that was all fine. But attitudes are changing now.”
Watch the 2017 interview with Annie Lennox below:
