Carina Tyrrell, the newly crowned Miss England, has responded to Germaine Greer after the feminist writer took her to task over her looks. Carina, a Cambridge student who won the title of Miss England on Monday was attacked by Germaine who claimed Carina had looks that fitted a ‘barbie doll mould.'
‘I don’t buy the claim this is not about looks.' Germaine said. ‘If this girl didn’t know what she looked like she wouldn’t have even thought of doing it. There are plenty of girls as clever and talented as she is who would never go in for something like this because they know they wouldn’t get a look in before they are not pretty enough.’
But Carina claims looks are something she’s ever focused on what she looks like, ‘Looks have never been an issue for me,' she said to the Mail. I didn’t even wear make-up until three years ago and it’s not as if I spend all day staring at myself in a mirror. I’m too busy doing ward rounds and taking bloods.’ As for Germaine’s claims that she’s ‘too thin’, Carina said, ‘I am naturally slim, all my family are, and I’ve never dieted in my life. It’s just fortunate that I was brought up enjoying a naturally healthy, balanced diet.’
And despite criticism that the pageant is anti-feminist Carina says it could actually be empowering for women, ‘I don’t think I am letting intelligent women down by doing this and I don’t think I am feeding some sexist agenda. It’s not about just looking pretty in a bikini. It’s about being a role model, somebody who is striving to make a difference, taking on a leadership role. Being a Miss England involves public speaking and interacting with people and all of those things that empower women, and I don’t see why that would be anti-feminist.’
Carina has just completed her fifth year as a medical student at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge although she now plans to take a year off to fulfil her Miss England duties.
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.