Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Bill

Debate between Lyn Brown and Anthony Mangnall

2nd reading & 2nd reading: House of Commons
Friday 16th October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Anthony Mangnall]

I hope that my hon. Friend will take it as a compliment when I say that she is ageing beautifully.

[Ms Lyn Brown (West Ham) (Lab)]

I have sat through this debate and been a little discomforted by some of the remarks that have been made. I say that very gently. I support the hon. Member for Stourbridge (Suzanne Webb) in her gallant attempts to get an understanding in this Chamber that young women and young men are beautiful in who they are and not in what they have done to them. That is the message that we should be sending out. I know that I have aged wonderfully, so I do not need the hon. Gentleman to tell me so. May I just emphasise the hon. Lady’s words, as I completely and utterly agree with the position that she has been enunciating over the past 20 minutes?

[Anthony Mangnall]

I thank the hon. Lady for making that very important point, and I take her guidance incredibly sincerely. That brings me to the point made by my hon. Friends the Members for East Surrey and for Hastings and Rye (Sally-Ann Hart), which is that every child is beautiful and that body positivity as we grow up is incredibly important. We are not asking anybody to change their image. I thank the hon. Lady for her point; I am always happy to take guidance on how to perform in the Chamber.

The impact of social media is long lasting, and our newspapers and media have become more and more emboldened about it.