We've come a long way, Baby - A moment of thanks to the Women's Movement

When you think about what life was like a generation ago, it is easy to imagine that people lived in simpler, happier times. And of course in many ways that is true. But while the media revel in nostalgia for old times and often curse today's celebrity-obsessed, consumer driven modern lifestyles. It is rare that we ever stop to take stock of how many good things have also happened since those "good old days".

So that is why I was delighted that BBC Women's Hour highlighted some outrageously sexist advertising that used to grace our newspapers without question back in the day. This festive advert illustrates the kind of thing I mean, but you can see the full display of 48 ads that wouldn't make it passed the advertising standards board these days at  http://owni.eu/2010/11/08/top-48-ads-that-would-never-be-allowed-today/.

Now, I'm not saying the battle for equality is won, but I am saying, maybe it is worth taking a moment to be grateful for some of the good things that we have achieved in the last fifty years. We've come a long way, Baby!