Lily Allen Responds To Gender Disparity In BBC Pay List: 'Women Are Better At Everything Than Men'

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Lily Allen’s controversial opinions following the BBC’s big pay reveal have not gone down well on Twitter.

The singer remarked on social media that “women are literally better at everything than men” after discovering that two-thirds of BBC talent earning more than £150,000 are men, compared to just one third of women.

While, granted, the gender pay gap is ridiculous and far from ideal - her comments about women being better than men were completely off the mark, especially when that’s not what feminism is about.

Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images

Allen retweeted a Radio Times article in which the BBC’s director general Tony Hall apologised for disparity in pay at the organisation.

The highest paid male at the BBC is presenter Chris Evans who is in the £2,200,000 - £2,249,999 earnings bracket. In contrast, the highest paid female is Claudia Winkleman who earns between £450,000 and £499,999.

After clocking Allen’s tweet, Connor McGurk‏ responded: “Can’t always have 50/50 and have what’s best in terms of money... if some of the women just ain’t as popular or etc (sic).. so what?”

Allen replied: “Don’t be stupid. Women are literally better at everything than men, why do you think we are so oppressed?” Um...

Don't be stupid. Women are literally better at everything than men, why do you think we are so oppressed ? https://t.co/FIzoDqKAer

— lily (@lilyallen) July 19, 2017

Twitter user William Inglesfield then stepped in to say Allen’s attitude wasn’t “progressive” and is certainly not what feminism is about.

This is a pretty TERF attitude, assigning concrete attributes to either gender is not progressive. That's not what feminism is about.

— William Inglesfield (@winglesfield) July 19, 2017

Allen reaffirmed her point once more:

Ta for the mansplain on feminism, but I didn't bring it up. I. I believe women are better at most things than men. 1/2 https://t.co/d7SSbFgE4a

— lily (@lilyallen) July 19, 2017

She then backtracked slightly:

But, that doesn't mean that I believe men shouldn't have equal rights. #feminism https://t.co/K4wIBmLDiN

— lily (@lilyallen) July 19, 2017

When one Twitter user said she was being “sexist” by labelling a whole gender as inferior, she added more fuel to the fire by suggesting men were better at “selling things people don’t need and starting wars”.

“Women are better at humane things,” she added.

But it's still sexist to box a whole gender as inferior at everything compared to another when there is no biological evidence to say so.

— Jack (@JackGetsLost) July 19, 2017

OK, men are better at selling things people don't need and starting wars. Women are better at humane things. https://t.co/yFlFtGx0UL

— lily (@lilyallen) July 19, 2017

Kerrang editor James McMahon replied with the below tweet:

Every time you RT me my timeline starts to look like this pic.twitter.com/WS7SSddG50

— James MeekMahan (@jamesjammcmahon) July 19, 2017

To which she replied:

This is what I mean when I speak of men. I don't mean actual ones with brains and stuff. https://t.co/COgA4DCfD6

— lily (@lilyallen) July 19, 2017

Needless to say, her comments were not well received.

Maybe you should jot down your thoughts on paper first, & read them, before putting them on social media #justsaying

— Linda Dwan ☠ (@Ajax_Wife) July 19, 2017

Men and Women should be treated as having equal worth. We are different but no one gender is superior to the other.

— Wonder Woman (@wonder_o_woman) July 19, 2017

You just self destructed with that comment and I've supported you since Somerset House blud

— Daren...... (@DarenOneR) July 19, 2017

I've never started a war, stop using your broad brush to tar us all, this was supposed to be about gender equality not belittling the other

— Andy Carpenter (@Amp1969) July 19, 2017

So why do you work with so many male musicians and songwriters?

— Guy Incognito (@Alexjay1982) July 19, 2017

Of course there are anomalies within the general neurology of the genders but each's benefits compliment each other to form a good balance

— Jack (@JackGetsLost) July 19, 2017

I love you Lil, but this doesn't work. I'm a much nicer person than Thatcher

— James MeekMahan (@jamesjammcmahon) July 19, 2017

come on lilly, i didn't read the rest of the conversation but that's just stupid

— Rowtag (@tchapatata) July 19, 2017

Allen’s remarks come just days after Emma Watson interviewed Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, about what feminism means to her.

“Do we mean equal legal rights?” Atwood said. “Do we mean women are better than men? Do we mean all men should be pushed off a cliff? What do we mean? Because that word has meant all of those different things.”

She explained that, for her, being a feminist doesn’t mean agreeing with everything every woman says or blindly supporting someone’s policies or beliefs just because they are a woman.

“If we mean, should women as citizens have equal rights, I’m all for it,” she added.

In this case, Lily, we’ll agree to disagree.

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