Sara Cox has shared her disdain for the notorious "ladette" label she was given in the 1990’s.
Cox, now 49, was a prominent figure among so-called ladettes, a group that included Zoe Ball, Gail Porter, Sarah Cawood, Donna Air, Claire Gorham, Rachel Williams, and Jayne Middlemiss.
Defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, a "ladette" is "a young woman who drinks a lot of alcohol, uses rude language, and behaves in a noisy way."The pop culture phenomenon was showcased on Channel 4's late-night, "edgy", entertainment show, The Girlie Show, which Cox hosted alongside Cawood, Gorham, and Williams.
However, Cox has now hit out at the pop culture term, telling Elizabeth Day's podcast How To Fail: "I've always hated it. But, I think I just hate it, literally, of that collection of letters, where they've cobbled together the word 'ladette'.
"If they'd have come up with a brand new word, that didn't have the word 'lad' in it, then it'd be fine.
"[A word] which meant women spending their own earnings, having fun, going out with their friends, having independence, not being afraid.
“Not worried about being glamorous or feminine or ladylike, but actually just being themselves and having a laugh and being really good mates with other girls and supporting.
"So, the vibe of 'ladette' and the fact that they tried to minimise, hold us down a little bit with that, was that: 'You're just trying to be like the boys.' And, we were never trying to be like the boys."
Cox has previously told This Morning that, "Ladette is a word that makes my toes curl now."
During the podcast, Cox also pointed out the sexism she dealt with regarding an incident with Sacha Baron Cohen during her time hosting BBC Radio 1's Breakfast Show.
At 27, Cox hosted Cohen, in character as Ali G, in 2002. During the live broadcast, Cohen said "motherf***er" on air, causing an uproar and media storm about the use of profanity on a Breakfast Show.
The interview went out just after 9am.
Reflecting on the moment, Cox shared her frustration at being blamed for what happened.
"It was him," she said. "He was the one who said that on my show and I got the kicking. It was all about how I messed up rather than what he did to me…
“There was no shame put on him for stitching me up,” she added. “He really stitched me up.”
