--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ..in the 21st century, we don’t need to…" description: "\"“..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size zero models, risible pornography, lap-dancing clubs and Botox. We don’t need to riot, or go..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png" --- # ..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size… ![“..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size zero models, risible pornography, lap-dancing clubs and Botox. We don’t need to riot, or go on hunger strike. There’s no need to throw ourselves under a horse, or even a donkey. We just need to look it in the eye, squarely, for a minute…” quote by Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png) > ““..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size zero models, risible pornography, lap-dancing clubs and Botox. We don’t need to riot, or go on hunger strike. There’s no need to throw ourselves under a horse, or even a donkey. We just need to look it in the eye, squarely, for a minute, and then start laughing at it. We look hot when we laugh. People fancy us when they observe us giving out relaxed, earthy chuckles.”” [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We should confront absurdities directly and respond with humor, using confidence and relaxed laughter as a form of defiance. **In simple terms:** Face absurdity with humor and confidence. Key Takeaway Laugh at absurdities to disarm them. Themes humor confidence defiance social critique Mood confident playful defiant Type observational satirical When to use this quote - public speaking - online commentary - social media activism - personal interactions Key Concepts social absurdity self‑presentation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can humor be used responsibly in critique? - When does humor become avoidance? A Different Perspective Humor may be dismissed as trivializing serious issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Hunger strike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger-strike/) [Laugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laugh/) ## Related quotes > [Rarely do you see a person truly laughing. Laughing with their soul and their heart. Behind almost every smile lies a tear. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/rarely-do-you-see-a-person-truly-laughing-laughing-with-their-soul/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [If you are in a movie theater, you can look two people down and they are laughing while you are laughing or you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/if-you-are-in-a-movie-theater-you-can-look-two-people-down-and-they/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [“Is the rain getting the mud off of me?” She tilted her head. A hint of laughter crept into her eyes. “Actually it’s running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/is-the-rain-getting-the-mud-off-of-me-she-tilted-her-head-a-hint-of/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [“There are also hunger strikes. Hunger strikes are noble and sometimes necessary. If you’re a political prisoner in China or North Korea (where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/there-are-also-hunger-strikes-hunger-strikes-are-noble-and-sometimes/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [As an assemblymember, I went on a hunger strike with yellow cab drivers to win more than $450 million in debt relief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zohran-mamdani/as-an-assemblymember-i-went-on-a-hunger-strike-with-yellow-cab/) [Zohran Mamdani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zohran-mamdani/) > [ I gave my mother a matching set \[of mugs\] for Christmas, and she accepted them as graciously as possible, announcing that they would make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-gave-my-mother-a-matching-set-of-mugs-for-christmas-and-she/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“From our experience of the past and our literature of the past we have derived a naïve faith in the power of a hunger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/from-our-experience-of-the-past-and-our-literature-of-the-past-we/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Original Statement by Hunger Strikers to Psychiatric Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General 1. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-farber/original-statement-by-hunger-strikers-to-psychiatric-association/) [Seth Farber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-farber/) > [“Not everyone in the village was happy with the idea of having an Untouchable man's statue put up at the entrance. Particularly not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/not-everyone-in-the-village-was-happy-with-the-idea-of-having-an/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [A fast is not a hunger strike. Fasting submits to God's commands. A hunger strike makes God submit to our demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-louis-cole/a-fast-is-not-a-hunger-strike-fasting-submits-to-god-s-commands-a/) [Edwin Louis Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-louis-cole/) > [ Leigh \[Bowery\] would make up stories about people committing suicide or going on hunger strikes because they were refused entry at the door. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/leigh-bowery-would-make-up-stories-about-people-committing-suicide-or/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [“Almost everything about Afghanistan was troubling Mullen. As Obama was giving intense focus on the war, Mullen was feeling more personal responsibility. Afghanistan had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/almost-everything-about-afghanistan-was-troubling-mullen-as-obama-was/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [In 1986, I had gone on a hunger strike with Anand Patwardhan rooting for an alternative land for slum dwellers. My mother got very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shabana-azmi/in-1986-i-had-gone-on-a-hunger-strike-with-anand-patwardhan-rooting/) [Shabana Azmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shabana-azmi/) > [I do think that some of my songs, like Take a Minute, are like the train between the two worlds. It starts out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/i-do-think-that-some-of-my-songs-like-take-a-minute-are-like-the/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [If he is convicted, Dr. Kevorkian says he will die a martyr's death by going on a hunger strike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/if-he-is-convicted-dr-kevorkian-says-he-will-die-a-martyr-s-death-by/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) ## More by Caitlin Moran > [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“You can tell whether some misogynistic societal pressure is being exerted on women by calmly enquiring, ‘And are the men doing this, as well?’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-can-tell-whether-some-misogynistic-societal-pressure-is-being/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I think loads of women have this idea that their life is going to start at some point, once they've busted all these problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-think-loads-of-women-have-this-idea-that-their-life-is-going-to/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [When you've got a mother who's given birth to eight children, you know, often without any kind of medical intervention - just she gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-ve-got-a-mother-who-s-given-birth-to-eight-children-you-know/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [I’m neither ‘pro-women’ nor ‘anti-men’. I’m just ‘Thumbs up for the six billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-m-neither-pro-women-nor-anti-men-i-m-just-thumbs-up-for-the-six/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [The doughy-faced woman has been forced to sit on the sidelines of culture for too long, and it's now time for us to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-doughy-faced-woman-has-been-forced-to-sit-on-the-sidelines-of/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“The more women argue, loudly, against feminism, the more they both prove it exists and that they enjoy its hard-won privileges.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-more-women-argue-loudly-against-feminism-the-more-they-both-prove/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“...it's technically impossible for a woman to argue against feminism. Without feminism you wouldn't be allowed to have a debate on a woman's place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/it-s-technically-impossible-for-a-woman-to-argue-against-feminism/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“But if there is to be a fifth wave of feminism, I would hope that the main thing that distinguishes it from all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/but-if-there-is-to-be-a-fifth-wave-of-feminism-i-would-hope-that-the/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [Why on earth have I, because I'm a woman, got to be nice to everyone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/why-on-earth-have-i-because-i-m-a-woman-got-to-be-nice-to-everyone/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [The sort of the template of being a mother is that you're endlessly giving to the point of exhaustion. You know, that's amazing if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-sort-of-the-template-of-being-a-mother-is-that-you-re-endlessly/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“Ha egyszerűen őszintén vállaljuk azt, hogy kik vagyunk, a csatát félig megnyertük. Ha szarul érzed magad mindattól, amit a magazinokban és a lapokban olvasol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/ha-egyszer-en-szint-n-v-llaljuk-azt-hogy-kik-vagyunk-a-csat-t-f-lig/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“A szőr a női lét egyik legelső és legnagyobb gondja. Hívatlanul jelenik meg, úgyhogy döntést kell hozni róla – ami magunknak és a külvilágnak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/a-sz-r-a-n-i-l-t-egyik-legels-s-legnagyobb-gondja-h-vatlanul-jelenik/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [When you talk to a young teenage girl, they're just full of self-loathing. The reason they feel self-loathing is they don't feel normal. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-talk-to-a-young-teenage-girl-they-re-just-full-of-self/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) [Explore all 306 Caitlin Moran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) Comic Strip Mama > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) Browse all 771 21st century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size zero models, risible pornography, lap-dancing clubs and Botox. We don’t need to riot, or go on hunger strike. There’s no need to throw ourselves under a horse, or even a donkey. We just need to look it in the eye, squarely, for a minute, and then start laughing at it. We look hot when we laugh. People fancy us when they observe us giving out relaxed, earthy chuckles.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caitlin Moran" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-march-against-size-zero-models/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "21st century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-march-against-size-zero-models/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/caitlin-moran-865_21st-century_in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-mar_1745134.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“..in the 21st century, we don’t need to march against size zero models, risible pornography, lap-dancing…” — Caitlin Moran", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Caitlin Moran", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“..in the 21st century, we don’t...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-march-against-size-zero-models/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/in-the-21st-century-we-don-t-need-to-march-against-size-zero-models/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```