Is what you see what you get?

Oh, what a day it's been for questioning how we perceive people based on what they look like which prompted me to forsake the brilliant, perceptive blah blah blah images I captured today (yeah, right) for this little number.

Chapter 1: 'This little number' is one of my treasured items of clothing, an item I would love to be able to wear. Before I start let's get one thing straight: yes, I am a feminist. Second thing we need to get straight: this is not what this feminist looks like. She does not, and never has - well, maybe when she was 10 years old - been able to fit into this t-shirt. I was given this lovely thing a few years ago by the then Director of the Fawcett Society as I was organising a conference at which she was scheduled to speak.

At that time they were running a fantastically successful campaign with the strapline 'this is what a feminist looks like' and featured many and varied people of different genders and sizes (including folks who looked like lorry drivers with beer bellies) wearing these t-shirts. I had advised her that I was 'big' rather than 'svelte' so please, for a moment, pause to consider my horror when I unwrapped this tiny thing. Alas, I didn't have the - ahem - balls to send it back and ask for a bigger size. I guess they had run out of them. And she had to pull out of speaking at the conference.

Every now and again I make a new (more svelte) friend and think: 'hmm, maybe you would be a deserving recipient of my Fawcett t-shirt?' but I can't bring myself to part with it. I'm thinking of making a cushion out of it.

Chapter 2: The yurt at Occupy Norwich has been decorated with several symbols, some of which are the Anarchist 'A within a circle' which has prompted discussion about perception. Some people could be put off by this, as they see it as dangerous, aggressive, whatever; some people look at the Occupy Movement as being lots of things: shambolic, hippy-ish, chaotic - yet they haven't taken the time to visit any of the Occupy encampments and actually speak to people.

Chapter 3: A lovely woman I have got to know recently is very concerned about how her appearance will affect how she is judged at a job interview. That's a real knotty one. We all, every day, make snap judgements about each other - the sharp suited man or woman may - underneath - be covered in tattoos and piercings. They may not be what - or who - they seem.

Where am I going with this? Oh, yes - just to let you know: I have another t-shirt with the legend: 'Big, beautiful and curvy' emblazoned across the (ample) front. It's promoting that lovely building, The Sage at Gateshead.