Jo Swinson Quotes

There are relatively few role models for young people. We are in a society that is ruled by men.

In a lot of TV shows out there, the women are the weak ones, and the men are the strong ones.

A woman's experience is different from a man's in virtually every respect, including how she is treated by the media.

Just by existing as men, we are automatically guilty of everything in some people's minds. And, on top of that, we've created a situation in the media where men are only allowed to talk about politics and sport.

The problem, as a female athlete, is that you don't want to come across as negative and moaning.

I was frustrated in general with the way women are always portrayed. And it's always through a man's eyes.

Even though I don't agree with either Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann on virtually anything, I do think the unique scrutiny - because of their gender and highlighting the potential conflict between them is a product of the media's desire for juicy storylines. I think it's inappropriate.

For the several thousands of years before they became firefighters and physicians, women were sirens, enchantresses, snares. At times it seems as if female powerlessness is male self-preservation in disguise. And for millennia, this has made for a zero-sum game: A woman's intelligence was a man's deception.

Men still control the news, both on and off camera.

These women whose antics we smirk at good-naturedly in the pap-traps put themselves out there at least partly on their beauty; they are in showbiz, and showing what they've got is part of their business as much as it is for male show-ponies from the Chippendales to George Clooney.

Sometimes I try to sell shows with a female lead to networks, and that isn't something that's been a proven formula for them, so they reject it. I do feel like men get the funniest roles in movies.

I'm interested in what happens to people when they get into that publicity machine. We tend to think things have changed, but there's still a deep sexism underlying the way women are treated publicly.

With pop music and pop musicians, you know everything about everyone all the time, particularly their physical appearance. With female musicians, that's made a big thing of, and I think people, certainly with me, have appreciated a bit of mystery.

The dominant male is history. Could you see a male Lady Gaga? The closest we've got is Justin Bieber, who'd be locked up if he tried the stuff Gaga gets away with. Women are the only rock stars now. Adele is brutally honest. I want to be like her.

Much-derided chick lit, chick flicks, and chick magazines have left ambitious women in a bind. Why is it that I, a young woman, can read 'GQ,' enjoy 'Fight Club,' and subscribe to 'Thrillist,' while the idea of a guy doing the same with 'Glamour,' '27 Dresses' and 'Daily Candy' is nearly unheard of?

Oprah didn't want to put me on the show for a really long time because she thought I was more for the men than for the women.

I have been told by people that I should not be seen clubbing with good-looking women, but I can't see why not. Why be a pop star otherwise?

I realized early on that I always hated girls who used their femininity to get what they wanted.

I have this theory that the likeability question comes up so much more with female characters created by female authors than it does with male characters and male authors.

I think we still believe that ambition is for boys.

People don't understand the tyranny of media. The few women that the media will allow in have to think about male approval and their own success - and their writing reflects that.

The only moment I become aware of being the only woman in a meeting is when actresses are being discussed. If someone's critical of how a woman looks, they turn to me and apologize.

I'm sick of the tabloids' saying I obsess over guys. Why would you obsess over guys? They don't like it.

I think women are very ambidextrous. We don't think twice about reading a book or a movie starring guys. But for guys, it's, like, 'Oh my God, that's a woman thing.' So with my son, I very carefully portion out the female heroes and characters to make sure he's getting an equal amount.

In '39, they had no problem with it. But today, there's a huge issue with a movie that has no male movie stars.