Emma Barnett

Margaret Thatcher’s mothering skills have been called into question by Russell Brand. Apparently a woman can’t dole out cuddles to her children at home and be a ‘warrior queen’ in the workplace. Get with the times, writes Emma Barnett. Well Carol and Mark Thatcher must be feeling a heck of a lot better now. Russell [...]

Margaret Thatcher and feminism. The two don’t sit well together and yet Emma Barnett thinks they should. As I tweeted when I heard the sad news of Baroness Thatcher’s death, she is still the only female Prime Minister that this country has ever managed to elect. And despite the Left’s protestations about her policies, that [...]

We now know that Paris Brown, the UK’s first youth police and crime commissioner, has a track record of posting violent, racist and homophobic messages on the internet. She should use her unsavoury experience to educate her peers about behaving properly online, writes Emma Barnett. When Paris Brown was appointed as the country’s first youth [...]

What does being a ‘lady’ in the 21st century actually mean? Isn’t it all a bit Jane Austen? A dubious Emma Barnett sits down with an etiquette tutor for a crash course. Running 15 minutes late for a breakfast meeting with an etiquette tutor is not the best start. But dear reader, the tube had [...]

Sheryl Sandberg is using her power to shake up the world of business and professional women’s mindsets with a new book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. For this she should not be vilified, but applauded, writes Emma Barnett. Nobody likes being lectured to. They certainly don’t like it if the person [...]

Today the Royal Navy launches its first ever women’s network. Emma Barnett meets Commander Ellie Ablett, the woman behind the initiative, hoping to boost the number of female commanders. Twenty years ago, in 1993, the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was integrated into the regular the Royal Navy. This was also the year that Commander [...]

Today, on International Women’s Day, the British Library makes a small piece of history. It has opened the first national Women’s Liberation oral history archive – entitled Sisterhood & Afterhood. Emma Barnett sneaks a listen and speaks to some of the women included. You may be forgiven for thinking such a thing already existed. I [...]

Most women still don’t own a bra which properly fits them 100 years on since the undergarment was invented. But why? Emma Barnett attends ‘Boob School’ and learns about the ‘DD myth’ that refuses to die. Balconette, strapless, plunge, full cup, half cup – this bra business is complicated stuff. And yet, despite all of [...]

Seth MacFarlane’s opening gambit, a song called, ‘We saw your boobs’, while presenting the Oscars last night has caused a bit of a stir. But why are boobs still so shocking to an American crowd, asks Emma Barnett. “We saw your boobs,” was the straightforward title of his song which prompted a bit of a [...]

Jennifer Hom is one of Google’s doodlers, creating the now-iconic images which adorn its homepage each week. She talks to Emma Barnett about bagging her dream job, her favourite creations and why she turned down the opportunity to draw the International Women’s Day doodle. It must be a pretty brilliant job to have on your [...]