Let’s Tell More People To F*** Off In 2024
Helen Mirren was right: women don’t say it enough
If you watched the FIFA 2023 World Cup final last year, you’ll have seen English goalie Mary Earps telling the Spanish team where to go, in no uncertain terms. After her perfect penalty save, there was no denying the words she used to shoo them back to their half of the field.
The usual pearl-clutchers took to social media to bemoan the unladylike conduct, although many were supportive and celebratory. A few days later she was named FIFA’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper 2022 at the Football Awards and more recently the UK’s Sports Personality of the Year (cue the sexists). At the end of the year she was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the New Year’s Honours list.
Go Mary!
Sadly, this powerful attitude doesn’t always translate to “real life.” It was okay for Mary to swear like a dude because she was playing what’s still seen as a man’s game. The emotion she expressed was in a context many men could appreciate. The fact that she’s bloody brilliant at her job helped too. I doubt very much that such support would be shown in everyday…
