Paloma Faith | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

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Paloma Faith’s debut single, “Stone Cold Sober”, charted at number 17 when she released it in 2009. Since then, her musical career has taken off, releasing four studio albums and becoming a 6x platinum artist.
Her career has been varied, too, with numerous TV and film appearances, as well as working as a coach on the UK version of The Voice. After several years releasing records, she has changed her style slightly for her most recent record, declaring “I was adamant that I wouldn’t write about love.” She describes The Architect as a ‘social observation record’ and became her first chart-topping album, selling over 40,000 copies. The 2015 winner of the Brit award for best female solo artist, she is currently on a world tour to promote her most recent album.
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[@ginadelvecchio5440]

I am beyond obsessed with Paloma's brilliance and authenticity. She's an amazing person and artist. I can't wait to see what she will do in this world.

[@frankowalker4662]

I've loved Paloma since her guest apearences on Buzzcocks. I did'nt hear any of her songs untill about two years ago. I like the way she can be serious and frivolous at the same time. And such a talent.

[@Meriale46]

Fantastic...I honestly believe most of the men on this feed didn't bother finishing watching her interview and speech. She didn't come off as a victim or fema'nazi in any way. She is working towards making life better for women as equal partners to men and allowed to grow intellectually. I adore Paloma and look at her as empowered by her emotions and opinions rather than victimized by them.

[@Meriale46]

Pardon me if I'm a little confused here by the last sentence in your comment. "Bad analogy for one that does not work"? Are you referring to women being treated as equals as something hat doesn't work, or are you referring to me personally or Paloma as non working women? I assume it's the first part... of course it doesn't' work, you need equal and willing men and women to agree that they are equals and many men will never do this. I was very fortunate to have married a man that treated me as his equal and never demanded I bow down to him as a servant rather than his partner in life and in raising our children. He was a strong intelligent man that knew his own mind and I had great respect for him as he did me. So I know men and women can meet on equal playing fields in life. There were times he made more money and other I made more but we never fussed over finances as to who was the breadwinner of the family. Many men tend to believe that what they earn in a marriage is solely theirs and what a women earns is too...and they still expect her to care for the house, children and all manual labor the man doesn't want to do and still be there for his sexual needs. These days are ending and men need to get on the train or be left behind. Men complain that they can't attract a woman, get a woman or keep one...it's because many haven't learned the new rules of treating women with the respect she deserves and giving her a equal partnership in a relationship. You're not cavemen and we don't need your protection. Women work every bit as hard, get he same levels of education and still are paid only .70 cents to every $1.00 a man earns. It's BULLSHIT! As for Paloma Faith and your opinion of her speaking so badly it's it equates to a heavy object dragging across the floor, then why are you even here? Why did you click on the video? Or are you just one of these people that enjoys going around trolling pages so you can have a open forum to unleash your misery onto. Criticizing others to make yourself feel better won't help you recover from your own self loathing. It only prolongs it. And if you enjoy this you really must ask yourself what the hell is wrong with your life that you can only find pleasure in attacking the integrity of others. If you don't like something, move on.

[@kieran9246]

She is such an inspiring woman! All she wants is equality between all genders, seeing women become stronger and to not let critics hold them back and they can do anything they want to (being a builder for example). She also speaks about men and that they can and should feel that they can do and be whoever they want (makeup artist etc.) Is there anything really wrong with what she's saying? I suppose we all have our own opinion. :-) *I've noticed most of the negative comments on this video are from men calling her a 'silly feminist' etc. Well, I'm a male and I'm also proud to be a feminist (believe in equality between all genders) and I think a lot of men are too embarrassed to be labeld as believing in that. She's just getting her opinion across in a polite and joyful way.

[@kieran9246]

Both. Equality between all genders gives all genders the same opportunity to become what they want to be and achieve their desired outcome.

[@kieran9246]

Aeon, do you agree with equality between all genders? That any gender can or should be able to achieve the same things in life as we all are human?

[@Flowmotion1000]

Trouble is that some of us have been hearing this since the early 70's. There was the 'equal pay act' 1970, the 'sex discrimination act' 1975, which made it illegal to discriminate on grounds of gender. As the saying goes: if men were paid more for doing the same job as women then no-one would employ men.

[@sosangl.9060]

And now both Paloma & Aurora are spreading light with that special book. 💓

[@gillfleming1741]

Very interesting. Her ‘speaking’ voice is so different to her singing voice.

[@movesky6696]

world in union

[@JaKamille]

At last!! Paloma ♥️

[@JaKamille]

Thinking of Marina 💕

[@duongpham989]

Omg! I love this accent ❤

[@gustamanavo]

Gotta hit that like button just for that Adele joke.

[@kaitlinpipes4231]

POV: You are trying to get paloma double platinum for the architect

[@GrimKage]

Didn't know they turned this into a chatshow

[@leethornley2480]

Paloma is exactly right, Corporate companies still pay woman in management level ,less than men ,yet the woman in these positions actually are far more intelligent and resolve the problems for there male colleges, It's a shame that a woman talkes about equality is portrayed as a man hater or a heavy feminist The English society in 2024 is still continuing from a victorian structure , of a Male industry and shovanisum/ masogany , As paloma is showing , to change things , woman need to take charge in changing the web of the working structure , Structure for woman in the working environment has to start in the home , Children are brought up with there own family values , Girls are not less intelligent than boys, Yet girls mature quicker than boys So its only the fact we are still in a masoganistic society, Sorry , paloma is a sexy intelligent woman

[@palomafaithlyricsespanol7467]

Amazing woman

[@MrMnj1193]

Why didn't any women carry the podium off?

[@tonylawlor8833]

What about employing people, she is dead right. Male vs Female in the workplace is a screen for feminist ideals. Employers have a right to pick the right person for the job, pay scales are a different matter and do need looking at.

[@mark-j-adderley]

Well, I did wonder who the next great thinker would be to give us the benefit of their wisdom from this venerable and august seat of learning, and I conjectured that it might be Karl Pilkington. It turned out to be his honorary sister.

[@youtu3411]

Ed Sheeran = Adele ?

[@JoeyRhubarb]

You might as well listen to a banana talk...

[@Meriale46]

I don't know about listening to to a banana talk but it sure is interesting to see one can actually write... you got the smarts real good, you must be the top banana in your bunch.

[@TR12365]

Paloma is a sweet soul but I had to stop watching after the first minute when she said: "I haven't read a full book in 15 years... You can read all you want, but I'm going to talk about personal experience, which you can't find in a book." Excuse me? Every book tells the experience of its author - you have to undertake effort to become informed. Your personal feelings on their own don't stand for anything. Sad to see public conversation regress into victim mentality, virtue signalling identity nonsense.

[@marksieving7925]

Well, that was a joke. Paloma has talked quite a bit about her love of reading and books. She mainly likes fiction: she's said that her favorite author is Milan Kundera, and she's friends with Hanif Kureishi. But she's also cited several non-fiction works as important. Her point was that in her speech, she was going to talk about her own experience, not repeat what someone else has said. That's not an anti-intellectual position.

[@wigancyclist8913]

Mark Sieving exactly!

[@Meriale46]

Why is that a factor in why you didn't finish watching. Personal experience in a setting like this one is extremely important when discussing her experiences. She was focusing on the music industry and how it's a male dominated world, which it is. Her personal experiences are valuable to others not by way of a victim mentality, but to not placate to the male ego driven business practises when striving for what a women wants in life. . Judging by what I watched she wasn't coming off as a victim a all, but a strong woman in a male dominated industry... Paloma is anything but a victim and her talk was more on the reality of what women have to deal with in any given situation. She wasn't saying all men are pigs and women are smarter or that other peoples experiences aren't important. it seems to me you went into this wanting to find a flaw in her armour and stopped far too soon to really learn anything useful. Next time try not to be so cynical 1 minute into a speech. Give the speaker the respect of your time and attention before you pop off about what nonsense it is. I think you show low character by jumping to conclusions based on a opening remark you clearly didn't understand or comprehend.

[@Meriale46]

And as she went on to quote the book she brought with her as well. Seems to me someone just wanted to nit pick at her. She's a highly intelligent and articulate women and I think that intimidates some people. Clearly this person was... they didn't give her a minute before making a full evaluation of what she was there for.

[@WuShogun212]

I really like Paloma, but I can't hear anymore of this. For the last few days especially I've been bombarded with female empowerment to the point where it doesn't mean anything anymore. It is white noise. Whether it is MeToo, TimesUp, or feminism in general I simply don't care. I don't think I'm alone in this sentiment either. The recent International Women's Day is just a fancy phasing of Let's Hate Men Day or Let's Congratulate Women for Simply Working Day. It is funny that this is happening though, I don't think this is starting to pick up because of actual sexism. I think this is mostly something that is being leeched on because these people have nothing else in their lives of importance. When you are a childless women so focused on yourself movements like feminism, MeToo, TimesUp are the perfect way to consume your time while getting a feeling of doing something worthwhile. I don't mean this to be condescending but this is what the movement looks like to most. Problems seem bigger than they are solely based on the amount of time and propaganda being pushed on those subjects. Sexism exists, of course, but it exists both ways and is slowly but surely receding from society commonplace through natural evolution in society and not from these movements' doctrine. What I've noticed in my own personal experience is that men face the same amount of problems as women do in society. The difference is that men are less likely to talk about it and if they do they usually transform it into a funny story if it isn't too bad or traumatic. Women on the other hand will not only talk about it but put more meaning and thought into it than there needs to be. One example that made me laugh recently was a couple roundtables of actors here on KZbin. One filled with men was fun and lighthearted with stories of struggles and hardships that turned into interesting stories that usually ended in laughter. The one with females was mostly grim and somewhat boring with way too much time talking about their hardships being a result of their gender. Practically the same problems being an actor, but two way different responses that I'm not claiming either one is good or bad. I'm not saying that rape and sexual assault can be seen in this way, but the everyday grind that everybody has to go through is clearly seen differently by both genders. With all that being said, all I see from these movements is the preying on women who want justification for their troubles in life. Women who are grinding shoulder to shoulder everyday along side men are not apart of this shit. They don't see themselves victims or in need (or want) of femal empowerment. The women in these movements don't care about the everyday working woman, they keep reciting the same "we need more CEO's" line over and over again. They're living in a delusion while trying to build a Utopian fantasy land, it is very bizarre and something out of a science fiction novel. I do love that women are not falling for this though, too many still do but I hope that the women who make CEO or President (Prime Minister) are not only against this rhetoric but vehemently combat it with their own anecdotes of hard work and dedication.

[@Meriale46]

Jesus Christ... did you even bother listening or are you just so pissed off at the Neo-Fema'nazi's that you can think straight? Sounds to me you have the problem... I'm sure you'd like to keep women down and subservient to men. Time's are a changing and you can either change with it or be left behind in the dark ages. But women are getting sick and tired of perverted bosses, sexist treatment, less pay in every area of life. I'm sure in your world women keep quiet and do as they're told because they've been taught to serve men... if standing behind men is what they like let them do it...but the rest of the world isn't placated to the male ego anymore. Even men of intelligence find it absurd that men like you still exist.

[@TT-fy6hk]

they ask a couple without hearing each others answers when and where was the last time you had sex? They both answered last night. when asked where, woman: In the kitchen, man : In the ass... IT IS PERSPECTIVE. you'll learn that in time.

[@tattoodrdoke]

Oxford you need to invite the cast of black panther and discuss the topic of identity and role models in the hollywood.

[@GetFashioning]

(i couldnt watch it all) but I dont like how hypercritical she is in this talk...coincidence when her female band members are concerned "they were the best for the job" but anything else is unfair? She also hates on men a lot, she has women workers because they "get the job done, and can think multiple things" insinuating men wouldn't do the job good enough. "giving birth, men cant do that".. i wish people didn't care so much, we are not equal sexes we both have our strengths, we wouldnt be here living in this world if it wasn't for both sexes, none is superior...just different

[@catherinesmyth6060]

Why do I get the impression she's intoxicated?

[@SirBeauJangles]

After far too many minutes of feminist soap box beefing, I gave up. First time at any OU lecture, this result... Disappointing. Also - I'd be very surprised if any woman - ANYWHERE - could father a child! Inanity not befitting the OU. This dame might make hyper successful records but that doesn't qualify her to provide interesting or revelatory insights that couldn't be overheard in late hours bars any Saturday night. (outside Covid timess of course) So glad to hear she understands that little boys can't be trained to be little girls and vice versa - that in sentences immediately after she wants boys to have dolls and push prams and girls to do boyish things. Boys incline to boy stuff, girls to girl stuff. Accept it - it's biology at work. This is just a tub-thumping session. Like one half of a sexism debate. A very hollow half. Over and out.

[@RockPhonic]

She's too busy trying to sound intelligent rather than just speaking about her career.

[@liammcnulty1987]

Crazy women is committing child abuse.