The Daily Mail is a very popular daily newspaper. It is especially widely read online.
Although many don’t condone what they see as the ‘quality’ tabloid’s right-wing agenda, no one can deny that both their print and web-based pieces do echo the sentiments of a significant portion of the British public. Whether you think that is a good or a bad thing is another matter entirely.
However, there are certain common issues that their many critics have of the publication. As well as their perceived hard-line attitudes towards immigrants, refugees, travelling communities, women with opinions and Muslims (amongst others), many claim they have an unhealthy obsession with celebrities’ children.
There have been various instances when the news outlet has referred to young girls in particular as ‘leggy’, and pointedly remarked about ‘how they’ve grown’ in a way that many find thoroughly distasteful. This allied with their overly moralistic preachings on various issues is perceived as decidedly hypocritical.
Bad bad pervy paper> RT @PrimlyStable @helenlewis @elliehorwell Daily Mail describes 8 year old girl as 'leggy beauty' pic.twitter.com/IVZMmamu
— MarkSpeaking 🔶#LibDem #CheshamAndAmersham (@markspeaking) January 28, 2013
Dear Daily Mail, she is not "all grown up". She is 12. pic.twitter.com/pbyuPEDHjx
— Monika Neall (@NeallM) March 13, 2015
Have the Daily Mail *really* just done an 'all-grown-up' piece about a two-week old?! pic.twitter.com/uvXMMMA2uO
— Nic Stevenson (@nicstevenson) May 17, 2015
On Thursday, a number of observers found the juxtaposition of the two main stories on the paper’s front page particularly crass and galling. On the one hand there was a call for refugee children, or ‘child migrants’, to be age-tested, echoing the sentiments of Tory MP David Davies, who wants their teeth to an analysed.
On the other there was an image of Cindy Crawford with her 15-year-old daughter, asking the readers to ‘Spot the difference!’ between the supermodel and her child. It was a front page combination so striking that some wondered whether the Mail were doing it on purpose to stoke up controversy.
Whatever the reason, this lot amongst others were not impressed with what they saw as a perfect example of why they dislike the Daily Mail as much as others seem to love it.
'Age tests' next to 'Spot the difference' between a 15 year old and her mother…. hmm… https://t.co/pnKUWq0b5C
— Prof Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) October 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/Sjgray86/status/788981268046290948
https://twitter.com/SarcyFringehead/status/789055092892790784
@nutri_lad an astonishing juxtaposition that highlights the moral bankruptcy of the Daily Mail.
Again.
— Matt Burkes (@MattBurkes) October 19, 2016
Left: 'migrant teenagers can't possibly look grown up'. Left: supermodel's teen daughter, 'isn't she grown up?!'. pic.twitter.com/7CoYTfH0L8
— Adam Ramsay (@AdamRamsay) October 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/Imi_Ahmed/status/788871933177847808
Daily Mail: Angry that none of the children are the correct ages for their bizarre pervy, racist world views. pic.twitter.com/UqMzapHn9u
— Tiernan Douieb (@TiernanDouieb) October 19, 2016
