Page 14 - CSA Speaker Bulletin September 2017 | CSA Celebrity Speakers
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
I come from the Industrial North of Q.You are one of the ourselves. I think, professionally,
England where humour is fundamental biggest-selling female things do get easier for women, step
to the culture - it’s a way of going authors of the last by step, but big obstacles to equality
straight to the heart of things and few decades. Do you believe remain, even at the top end of the
debunking any pretentiousness or that it is becoming easier for business. These are often very subtle,
nonsense. I always remember a women to achieve what they and things you only half understand, so
performance of Swan Lake at Leeds want professionally and do you it’s important to share experiences and
Variety Theatre where they had a see yourself as a role model for build confidence.
rather-overly fancy fake swan full young women today?
of dancers which got stuck half way I don’t know if I’m a role model - my
across the stage and someone shouted I think it’s very hard for young people goddaughter says her friends are
out in a thick Yorkshire accent, “What’s to navigate a world where social media studying me as a Post-Feminist at
up w'it duck, then?” has exploded - much harder than when university - which has naturally gone
I first wrote Bridget. It’s more important to my head. I always want to be one of
What often seems like the lightest joke than ever to emphasise the importance those writers who gets up at 6 am to a
or laugh is really a way of making sense of human qualities, rather than how lightly boiled egg, writes for 3 hours at
of life, and getting back on track. In the many likes you get on Instagram, how a white table with a single orchid on it,
same way a completed Bridget book your friends are presenting their very then prances off to play tennis. But I’m
looks very light and frothy, but it’s like a best day on their best vacation, or much more chaotic than that, and as
little duck on the water, underneath the how everyone looks in their prettiest, riddled with insecurities and muddle
legs are busily working away. I think thinnest, photo shopped picture. I’m as everyone else. So if they see a fairly
humour is one of the loveliest ways really happy that there seems to be normal, messy, human woman who has
of navigating life - it brings people a large audience for Bridget even done well by writing about a normal
together, celebrates our joint humanity, amongst young teens: it means they human woman who’s good to her
avoids tedious uncomfortable understand what it is that really makes friends and knows the importance of
discussions, and it’s happy and fun. us like and respect our friends and humour in life, then I’ll be happy. n
"Keep it real and aim
for human rather
than perfect."
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