Beth Chaplow: Caitlin Moran
Caitlin Moran makes no qualms about being a flawed human being and it is this realism which makes her not only relatable but an inspiration. It’s almost unthinkable that a home-schooled girl who grew up on a Wolverhampton council estate could make it as a successful journalist for major newspapers yet she proves it possible, in her own way taking a kick at the seemingly impenetrable fortress that is ‘The Establishment’. Her books How To Be a Woman and How to Build a Girl are irreverent and witty yet by tackling controversial issues such as the welfare state and feminism in this manner, she makes these complex concepts accessible and up for debate.
Without open-ended conversation regarding tricky subjects such as the aforementioned, we wouldn’t be able to make progress, therefore I respect Caitlin Moran not only for her choice of subject matter but for her tone – her writing functions as building blocks, allowing us to shape our own discourse and opinions after she has given us the tools to do so.