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Jilly Cooper has claimed that men have been “diminished” by the #MeToo movement , adding that women are attracted to a “dominant male”.
The bestselling author, dubbed “the queen of the bonkbuster”, told the Press Association : “I think because men are being so diminished now, everywhere – Me Too, Me Too, Me Too. I think [50 Shades Of Grey character] Christian Grey is whacking away and he’s a dominant male."
She added: “I think, secretly, women, although they want to be in the ascendancy, they are quite attracted by the idea of a dominant male... They obviously like a very tough man.”
Cooper is known for her romance novels, particularly her Ruthshire Chronicles, which include the volumes Rider (1985), Rivals (1988), and Polo (1991).
The books are famous for relying heavily on stories of sexual infidelity, betrayal, melodramatic clashes, and economic anxiety set against a backdrop of elite society, including the showjumping and polo crowd.
#MeToo movement – In picturesShow all 24 1 /24#MeToo movement – In pictures #MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 A picture shows the messages "#Me too" and #Balancetonporc ("expose your pig") on the hand of a protester during a gathering against gender-based and sexual violence called by the Effronte-e-s Collective, on the Place de la Republique square in Paris
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Italian actress Asia Argento (C) and US singer and actress Rose McGowan, who both accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, take part in a march organised by 'Non Una Di Meno' (Me too) movement as part of the International Women's Day in Rome
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse and their supporters protest during a #MeToo march in Hollywood, California
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 South Korean women staging a monthly protest against secretly-filmed spycam pornography in Seoul. Since May 2018, the monthly demonstrations against secretly-filmed spycam pornography in Seoul has shattered records to become the biggest-ever women's protest in South Korea where the global #MeToo movement has unleashed an unprecedented wave of female-led activism
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 Swedish MEP Linnéa Engström sits behind a placard placed on her desk that reads "Me too" during a debate about combating sexual harassment and abuse in the EU at the European Parliament in Strasbourg
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Activists participate in front of the Brandenburg Gate in a demonstration for women's rights in Berlin
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 A McDonald's employee holds a sign during a protest against sexual harassment in the workplace in Chicago
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 An activist participates in the 2018 #MeToo March in Hollywood
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Women protest in New York
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Women hold a banner reading "still feminist" with the Eiffel tower in background
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 French activist Jean-Baptiste Redde, aka Voltuan, holds a placard as protesters take part in a gathering against gender-based and sexual violence in Paris
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Activists and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse, including Democratic candidate for Illinois governor at the time JB Prtizker (left), gather in the Federal Building Plaza to protest the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in Chicago, Illinois after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted out Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and agreed to an additional week of investigation into accusations of sexual assault against him before the full Senate votes on his confirmation. Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both teens
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 A group describing themselves as #MeToo/#YoTambien survivors, hold a candlelight vigil outside the Mexico Consulate to support the women taking part in the human caravan heading through Mexico to the US border
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse and their supporters protest during a #MeToo march in Hollywood
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 South Korean demonstrators hold banners during a rally to mark International Women's Day
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Dozens of women and men attend a rally and march in Washington Square Park for international Women's Day in New York
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 People carry signs addressing the issue of sexual harassment at a #MeToo rally outside of Trump International Hotel in New York
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 Victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse and their supporters protest during a #MeToo march in Hollywood
AFP/Getty
#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 South Korean demonstrators hold banners during a rally to mark International Women's Day
AFP/Getty
#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Dozens of protesters against the confirmation of Republican Supreme court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh gather outside of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer's office on the afternoon that Professor Christine Blasey Ford testified against Kavanaugh in New York
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Activists and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse gather in the Federal Building Plaza in Chicago
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Dozens of women and men attend a rally and march in Washington Square Park
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#MeToo movement – In pictures 2017 People carry signs addressing the issue of sexual harassment at a #MeToo rally outside of Trump International Hotel
Getty
#MeToo movement – In pictures 2018 Activists and advocates for survivors of sexual abuse gather in the Federal Building Plaza to protest the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
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More recently, the Rutshire Chronicles have been criticised for dated and problematic portrayals of gender roles and sexual consent.
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