It can sometimes be hard to find a measure of just how far our society has veered from basic human decency.
But then along comes Laurence Fox to remind you exactly how grim things are.
Even by his basement-low standards, he hit rock bottom when he denigrated female journalist Ava Evans and asked ‘Who’d want to shag that?’
His disgusting comments served as a painful reminder for all women that no matter how successful we may be in a career, we’re never far away from being reduced to our looks by some tragic little man.
Fox, who was once an actor before being apparently dropped by his agent, is like a little child starved of attention, constantly jumping up and down to make sure he is seen and sadly, heard.
His spiteful views seem to pop up endlessly on my X (formerly Twitter) timeline and his hateful videos on my TikTok for you page. I imagine if you say the word patriarchy three times in the mirror at night, his reflection comes through and screams at you about men’s rights and the woke elite.
Yet despite my already low opinion of the man, he managed to truly outdo himself during a segment on last night’s Dan Wootton Tonight on GB News, when he discussed Ava Evans, the 20-something correspondent for online site PoliticsJOE.
Fox, who received less than 2% of first preference votes during the London mayoral election in 2021, concluded: ‘Who’d want to shag that?’
What should have been a discussion solely about her appearance on BBC’s Politics Live to debate male mental health quickly descended into a rant by Fox, 45, about Evans’ f***ability.
In a clip shared by Evans on X, Fox said: ‘Show me a single, self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever… ever.’
Describing her as ‘that little woman,’ Fox added that society needed ‘powerful, strong, amazing women who make great points for themselves’ and insisted we don’t need these ‘feminist 4.0’ who he deemed to be ‘pathetic’ and ’embarrassing’.
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Fox, who received less than 2% of first preference votes during the London mayoral election in 2021, concluded: ‘Who’d want to shag that?’
GB News and Wootton issued apologies, and both men have since been suspended from the channel.
But Fox revealed on X that he still stood by his comments.
I’m disgusted, but not surprised. My two-year-old son remains stubborn in the face of reason too. And I’d say his emotional intelligence already far surpasses that of Fox’s.
My sympathies go out to Ava, who claimed to feel ‘sick’ when watching the clip, and told Jeremy Vine ‘I’m actually a journalist, rather than a commentator, and I’d much rather be judged or asked about my work, than have people talk about my body.’
Her response made me feel enraged on her behalf. No matter how much Ava puts herself in the public sphere with her career, she’s right that she should never have to face comments on anything other than her work.
Being a journalist, I’ve faced plenty of online comments about my looks. I’m not alone. Just take a quick search on X at some of the pages of outspoken female voices in this industry and you’ll be met with a slew of diabolical outbursts regarding their appearance.
Every woman will have examples of times they stood up for themselves or dared to be outspoken and opinionated, only to face scathing remarks about their looks. Or tried to remain professional in an environment where male colleagues couldn’t seem to look past how likely or otherwise women were to sleep with them.
In workplaces, I’ve heard disgusting conversations disguised as ‘male banter’ about the shagability of young, female staff members.
As a teenager, I remember a female boss who was strict, firm and didn’t suffer fools. As a man, I don’t doubt this would have been respected. As a woman, the male staff members used to joke that she just needed a ‘good, hard shag’.
In my career, I’ve had my professionalism called into question due to the shortness of my skirt or brazenness to go bare legged in summer months.
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A friend told me she once got into a heated debate with a male colleague about sexism in porn and was told that she only cared because she ‘wasn’t fit enough’ to be a porn star herself.
And one was trolled online by someone who claimed her ‘feminist views’ would see her end up sad, alone and unmarried.
Something that Fox fails to understand is that his misogynistic rants are a perfect example of the patriarchal society that he mocks and casts doubt on.
In a tweet posted earlier this year, he insisted: ‘Women are equal to men in our progressive society.’
Yet last night, when he could have used his air time to debate Ava’s political views or comments, something he would have no doubt done with a male journalist, he chose to debase her to nothing more than something he would either have sex with, or not.
Sadly, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Fox. Like with the recent army of defenders of Russell Brand, we live in a time where sexist behaviour is regarded as ‘free speech’ and ‘woke’ is an insult used against anyone who dares question the current status quo.
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And in debating this very issue, Fox continues to make headlines.
Even my writing this piece is another way for his name to potentially trend.
His GB News rant against Ava has since been viewed over 16 million times. A win, no doubt, in his eyes. Yet viral does not mean victory.
In fact, in the hours since his rant, Laurence has not only faced suspension but a monumental wave of backlash.
Meanwhile, Ava’s tweet has received an overwhelming amount of support and solidarity – with Fox’s usually loyal fanbase appearing few and far between in the comments.
Hopefully, this event has sparked a much-needed conversation about the way women are viewed in our society. We aren’t asking to be treated with kid gloves when it comes to debates and discussions surrounding their field of work.
We just want men like Fox to be able to stick to the subject at hand and realise comments on our f***ability are never, ever appropriate.
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