Weekend Woman's Hour: Women’s Prize winners, Clare Connor, SEND, Weight, Mum’s poem in son’s exam

A poem written by Emily Cullen for her son when he was eight has resurfaced on his English exam paper seven years later—turning a personal moment into a profound synchronicity that moved both mother and son to tears. This touching story opens a broader conversation about how women’s bodies, voices, and achievements continue to be scrutinized, especially in public life. From the Women’s Prize for Fiction winners—Lise de Sette and Virginia Evans—whose books explore the hidden histories of women in war and the quiet resilience of everyday lives, to Clare Connor’s legacy in transforming women’s cricket from amateur to professional, the episode highlights the quiet revolutions happening across culture and sport. Yet amid these triumphs, the conversation turns sharply to the toxic weight of societal expectations: the relentless focus on women’s appearance, the moralization of thinness, and the dangerous narrative that equates a woman’s worth with her body. Experts like body confidence activist Alex Light and food policy researcher Dr. Dolly Van Tuleken expose how ultra-processed food systems and cultural obsession with weight have created a perfect storm of self-loathing and health crisis. The episode ends with a powerful reminder: that even in the smallest moments—like a child’s chalked message on a pavement—there is grace, truth, and the enduring power of love to cut through the noise.