Does the pornification of school culture in the UK merely reflect the adult world back at us?
Ofsted reports that sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are so routine for schoolchildren that they barely bother reporting it; 90% of girls and 50% of boys have been sent explicit pictures (“dick pics”). Girls, the biggest targets of harassment, report everything from unwanted touching, rape jokes and upskirting to being asked for nude images and having nudes shared on SnapChat and WhatsApp “like a collection game”.
The report was prompted by harrowing testimonies of sexual harassment in schools posted on the Everyone’s Invited website. It’s been pointed out that a similarly shocking report from the Commons women and equalities committee in 2016 did not lead to enough change. Also, last week, the OnlyFans site (which allows people to post homemade pornography) was reprimanded by the children’s commissioner for not doing enough to deter underage contributors. (OnlyFans states that it will meet the commissioner and correct any misinformation.)
Clearly, the pornification of not just school life, but children’s whole lives, is a writhing, multi-headed hydra of a problem that’s not going to go away. Part of this is the curiosity, bravado and silliness of youth (boys and girls). However, for some time now, children have had unlimited access to hardcore porn, with some of us worrying about the long-term damage that highly explicit material wreaks on young minds too immature to process it.
Then there’s the other major factor: you. Well, maybe. Because this isn’t just about porn itself, it’s about generalised porn-friendly culture. How, increasingly, we live in a culture that normalises pornographic imagery and behaviour. Ofcom reports that half of the UK adult population watched porn in lockdown. Pornhub alone was visited by 50% of all British men and 16% of women in September 2020. Despite the huge growth of online pornography in the UK (predating the pandemic), the sector has been poorly regulated, with Ofcom looking into, among other things, the regulation of video-sharing platforms for the first time this year.
Usually, anything to do with porn, particularly its curtailment, soon erupts into debates about individual rights and myriad definitions of morality. Whatever your personal take on porn, it belongs in the adult world alone. The significant thing here is that – yet again – there’s evidence appearing to support the view that adult pornographic culture has become normalised to the point of leaking disastrously into children’s lives.
We could argue forever about whether pornography belongs in a civilised adult society. Now it’s time to acknowledge how strongly pornified culture has installed itself in our children’s lives. With 90% of girls and 50% of boys already receiving dick pics, what will it take?
Harry Dunn’s extraordinary parents would not be silenced
Is Harry Dunn finally going to receive some kind of justice?
Dominic Raab says that the path has become clear for a virtual trial of Anne Sacoolas whose car hit the 19-year-old’s motorbike, killing him, while she was driving on the wrong side of the road outside an RAF base in Northamptonshire in 2019. After the accident, Sacoolas returned to America, claiming diplomatic immunity as the wife of a US government intelligence officer. Now President Biden is said to be taking a personal interest in the case. (His first wife and child were killed in a car crash.) Time will tell if it comes to anything. If it does, it will chiefly be down to the superhuman efforts of Dunn’s family.
Since Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn’s son was killed, they’ve been put through unimaginable distress, not least, it appears, at the hands of Raab, who, they claim, dealt with them from the start in a cold, dismissive way. Along the way, they’ve felt patronised, fobbed off, blocked, even intimidated. Their meeting with then-President Trump at the White House to try to discuss the issue turned farcical, when Trump suddenly announced that Sacoolas was in the next room, with the implication that they should meet her and everything would be magically sorted out. Because that’s what grieving parents want – to star in an impromptu edition of Surprise, Surprise. They refused.
Despite all the opposition, and the relentless stress, Harry’s parents doggedly fought on, which was probably not in the script. They were supposed to put up with it, drop the matter, understand that greater international forces were at play, quietly mourn Harry and just as quietly move on. In short, behave like little people who didn’t matter. That they refused to do so says everything you need to know about their characters. What great and loving parents to Harry Dunn they still are.
Only a heel would try to improve my perfect Crocs
Is the fashion house Balenciaga trolling our toes with high-heeled Crocs? Balenciaga has produced a stilettoed Croc. I will pause for a moment for you to savour the elegance of the concept. (It resembles a milk crate propped up on a car jack.) However, the “sexy” heel defeats the point of Crocs. Crocs are supposed to be ugly, sexless and extremely comfortable. Therefore, it makes no sense to put a heel on them and make them uncomfortable and still sexless.
Crocs occasionally enjoy a style-renaissance; recently, it was reported that second-hand Crocs were being pursued in the same way that people hunt down rare trainers. Still, the core Croc market remains the same: all types and ages, including women like me, who’ve clearly given up on ourselves. The seasoned Croc wearer has strict personal rules: for me, “classic” black or white (no funky colours), to be worn only during summer, no fleece lining and absolutely no socks.
Few among us would have the audacity to try to change the comfy, gender-free flatness of the Croc. The fashion crowd may be trying to spin this stiletto-thing as a big Croc moment, but one presumes they’ll be wearing them ironically. While the Croc community welcomes all newcomers, they will never be recognised as true members of our moulded, foam-footed tribe.
• Barbara Ellen is an Observer columnist
