Successful women should resist the urge to pull the ladder up behind them

While I may not agree with every woman I meet, or even like them, I am still committed to using my voice, such as it is, to amplifying the voices of the women around me, writes Louise O’Neill

RECENTLY, I was asked if I was a fan of a certain celebrity’s fashion choices to which I replied in the negative, citing her love for beige round-toe pumps and nude tights. When I’m Queen of the World — an inevitability at this point — all such offending items will be set on fire. You have been warned...

The person who posed that question gave a triumphant ‘ha!’ at my response, telling me that my aversion to another woman’s clothing meant that I was a ‘bad feminist’. I was baffled. I hadn’t torn this celebrity’s character apart, I hadn’t gone online to eviscerate her, I hadn’t commented on her body or weight, I hadn’t suggested that this woman’s taste (or lack thereof) made her less worthy of respect in any way. I’d merely expressed an opinion and somehow found myself deemed a traitor to the sisterhood.