New feminism topples sexist book displays

A teacher who persuaded WHSmith to stop displaying books "for women" said today she is part of a new wave of feminism in the capital.

Julia Gillick, 29, wrote to the retailer after seeing a fluffy display of light, romantic books - many written by men - with pastel-coloured covers and titles such as Meet Me At the Cupcake Café.

Her letter said she was "deeply offended by this unnecessary and condescending practice". She now plans to write to Tesco, which also has a "women's fiction" section.

Ms Gillick, of Shepherd's Bush, today urged women not to put up with sexist slights. She said: "The words that we use matter There is a sense in some circles that we have let things slide a bit after the work we thought had been done in the Seventies and Eighties."

The English teacher at an all girls' private school has also set up a feminist bookgroup. Caitlin Moran's How To Be A Woman was the first text they studied.