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MP Gloria de Piero; the National Sperm Bank; Normcore

With Emma Barnett. Including Gloria de Piero, shadow minister for women and equalities; first national sperm bank; Japan and child porn; normcore; and Scotland's first woman MP.

MP Gloria de Piero, Shadow Minister for Women & Equalities, live from the Labour Party Conference. The first National Sperm Bank - how will it address the UK sperm shortage? Laura Witjens, Chief Executive of the National Gamete Donation Trust explains. Plus, Japan has become the last industrialised country to ban possession of child pornography, but why are manga comics and animation exempt? Professor Sawa Omori of Tokyo's International Christian University, and Dr Sharon Kinsella of Manchester University discuss the law, Japan's attitude to children as sexual objects, and the cult of the "sexy schoolgirl". Plus 'normcore' - how dressing normally has become the height of fashion. Journalist Lauren Cochrane and Josephine Collins of the London College of Fashion dissect this latest fashion trend. And Scotland's first female MP - Katharine Murray, or the Red Duchess - elected to parliament in 1923.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Emma Wallace.

Available now

58 minutes

Chapters

  • The First National Sperm Bank – What Will It Achieve?

    The first National Sperm bank will open next month.

    Duration: 06:35

  • Scotland’s First Female MP

    Katharine Murray was the first woman to be elected as an MP from a Scottish constituency.

    Duration: 08:02

  • Gloria De Piero at Labour Conference 2014

    Gloria De Piero is the shadow women and equalities minister.

    Duration: 08:38

  • Japanese Child Pornography Laws

    Japan is the last industrialised country to ban the possession of child pornography,

    Duration: 09:55

  • Normcore

    Are those among us wearing non-descript clothing now the height of fashion?

    Duration: 07:40

The First National Sperm Bank – What Will It Achieve?

The first National Sperm bank will open next month with £77,000 Department of Health funding. The charity responsible for running the bank is the . But about how will they address the UK's sperm shortage.

Scotland’s First Female MP

Scotland’s First Female MP

Katharine Murray was the first woman to be elected as an MP from a Scottish constituency. Kitty - as the Duchess of Atholl was known - was elected in 1923 as MP for Kinross and West Perthshire for the Scottish Unionist Party. She was a committed campaigner against fascism in the Spanish civil war - for which she earned the nickname the Red Duchess; she read Mein Kampf in German, then commissioned a new translation in a bid to convince Churchill of Hitler's true intentions; and, when she failed, she resigned her seat, triggering a bitter by-election. But have you ever heard of her? Woman’s Hour's Elizabeth Quigley went in search of the Red Duchess.

Gloria De Piero at Labour Conference 2014

Just under a year ago Gloria De Piero joined the shadow cabinet taking on the brief for women and equalities. Since then she’s held meetings all over the country to find out ‘what women want’ talking to groups of female voters to hear about what they care about. What has found out about their lives and what does she plan to do about their concerns.

Japanese Child Pornography Laws

This year, Japan banned the possession of child pornography, the last industrialised country to do so. But comics and animations that depict children in sexually abusive situations are still allowed after the manga and anime industries secured an exemption from the new law. What does this tell us about Japan’s attitude to children as sexual objects? And where does the cult of the “sexy schoolgirl” come from? Emma hears from Professor Sawa Omori of the International Christian University, Tokyo, and Dr Sharon Kinsella, the author of “Schoolgirls, Money and Rebellion in Japan".

Normcore

A new advertising campaign by high street has launched their Autumn/Winter collection with the slogan “dress normal”.  This will come as no surprise to serious followers of fashion who have been talking about this trend for simple, anonymous dressing since Fiona Duncan coined the phrase “Normcore” in NY Mag last February.  Normcore dressing includes grey marl sweaters, mid-blue jeans and notable absence of colour, designer labels and anything that might be considered “flashy”.  So is anyone who happens to be wearing non-descript clothing now the height of fashion?  Emma talks to journalist Lauren Cochrane and to Josephine Collins from the London College of Fashion.

Credits

Role Contributor
Producer Emma Wallace
Interviewed Guest Gloria De Piero
Interviewed Guest Laura Witjens
Interviewed Guest Sawa Omori
Interviewed Guest Sharon Kinsella
Interviewed Guest Lauren Cochrane
Interviewed Guest Josephine Collins
Interviewed Guest Elizabeth Quigley

Broadcast

  • Tue 23 Sep 2014 10:00

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