BBC TV "WDYTYA?" Series 8 Episode #2: Rupert Everett

[heywood]

Has anyone found any male dressmakers?
Are we to assume that any such were transvestites? (!)

(At this point I need a smiley with a tongue in it's cheek!)
Phil

Tailors?  Now in research for rootschat, I notice  lots of tailors were irish.My goodness -what assumptions could be made there 

I think the whole discussion just  highlights the abject poverty that some of our ancestors endured and in this particular case how women were exploited.
When I had connections with the law (right side  )  many years ago- the women (prostitutes) were regarded as the criminals- the men (clients  ) not so.
I had a couple of washerwomen  as ancestors... must have led very clean lives 

[Windsor87]

One of my ancestors had four illegitimate children and never married. She was a dressmaker in Turriff. I must admit that I was aware of the 'dressmaker' euphemism. He four illegitimate children did make me raise an eyebrow.

I am, however, pretty sure that she was not a prostitute as she seems to know who the fathers were (even though they were not all named on birth certificates). Her mother and father must have been demented as Margaret and her children lived with them until the end of their days.

[Lynntony]

It seems a case of "Not all dressmakers were prostitutes, but all prostitutes were dressmakers!"

I wonder if the same assumptions will apply to today's massage therapists in the future?!!

Tony

[Sloe Gin]

It seems a case of "Not all dressmakers were prostitutes, but all prostitutes were dressmakers!"

   Surely it's more accurate to say "Not all dressmakers were prostitutes, and not all prostitutes were dressmakers".

Or even better, "Some dressmakers were prostitutes, and some prostitutes were dressmakers".

[heywood]

I looked again at 1881 to see who is declared as a prostitute and it looks so sad- inmate/convict/prisoner/patient seem to be most. I haven't looked all through but in the first indexes there are few who seem to be in households. Interestingly, many of those are in Devon/Cornwall.
I thought to test this hypothesis, I would look at one person in the 1871 census. The one lady I chose who was of a suitable age was... a... seamstress in 1871.
Another who is in different workhouses in both censuses is a needlewoman in 1871 and a prostitute in 1881.
The poor women.

[Lynntony]

  Surely it's more accurate to say "Not all dressmakers were prostitutes, and not all prostitutes were dressmakers".

Or even better, "Some dressmakers were prostitutes, and some prostitutes were dressmakers".

How about "Not all dressmakers were prostitutes, but most prostitutes seemed to be dressmakers!"  !!!

Assumptions are never very accurate and I was merely echoing the assumptions made elsewhere!

[salmynka]

I looked again at 1881 to see who is declared as a prostitute and it looks so sad- inmate/convict/prisoner/patient seem to be most. I haven't looked all through but in the first indexes there are few who seem to be in households. Interestingly, many of those are in Devon/Cornwall.
I thought to test this hypothesis, I would look at one person in the 1871 census. The one lady I chose who was of a suitable age was... a... seamstress in 1871.
Another who is in different workhouses in both censuses is a needlewoman in 1871 and a prostitute in 1881.
The poor women.

Rofl that made me smile after recently reading some old copies of The West Briton and the 'bawdy houses' that seemed so popular in Truro and Redruth    I'm so proud to be Cornish 

Loved the Rupert Everett episode, I thought it was going to be a boring trawl through the upper crust of society, instead it was utterly riveting!

[chrislb]

getting back to Rupert Everrett... and specifically a remark made by either himself or someone else regarding Jacob.  It was a remark something along the lines of Rupert having 'black' ancestry.... what the??? Is there any indication that this 'Jacob' is a direct ancestor of Rupert?? No I don't think so so how can he have 'black' ancestry??

[Tracey Joy Kelly]

you are all so lucky to have seen it..  in australia we just get to watch series one over and over again. i am so looking forward to something different.