Northwest Cancer Research, a cancer charity in the northwest of England and north Wales, has set up an eye catching installation at Manchester Piccadilly station.1 “Don’t keep ’em crossed” they say, “Get screened instead.” Suspended from pillars are three pairs of slim plastic legs, all crossed, stuck on a pillar, disembodied, like parts of a Barbie doll. The woman is being instructed not to rely on luck to avoid cervical cancer but instead—silly girl—to organise herself to attend screening. I find this sexualised and patronising—women’s bodies made for public display, with a mixture of shock value and shame.
Why is there such difficulty in treating women like adults? A few years ago the Scottish government used a video, featuring …