Annie Lennox always hugs her daughters and tells them she loves them, because she herself missed out on affection as a child.
The Eurythmics star is mother to Lola, 28 and Tali, 25, and has ensured she has lavished the girls with affection as they have grown up. Speaking to Good Housekeeping magazine Annie, 64, explained her attitude was inspired by her own childhood.
“I think my daughters respect what I’ve done and am trying to do…” she said. “I’m so proud of both the girls as human beings. I grew up in Scotland in the 50s and in my background, nobody hugged or kissed.
“It was viewed as too soft, as times were hard and the culture contained a great deal of stoic reserve. I’ve tried to make up for what I didn’t have in my own childhood; I think hugging is very important along with telling people – especially your children – that you love them.”
As well as her success in the music industry, Annie has made a name for herself as a philanthropist and activist in recent years. She’s doing her best at the moment to spread the word of “Global Feminism”, and is thrilled that the phrase is becoming increasingly well known.
“I’m so happy we can use the ‘F’ word now and talk comfortably about being feminists,” she said.
“Not so long ago, you couldn’t even get the word ‘feminist’ published as people felt uncomfortable with it. But the word has come out of the shadows and everyone seems to be using it. Terminology is incredibly important.
“We are not criticising men per se, we are criticising negative and abusing behaviours. At the end of the day, Global Feminism is about the fundamental human rights of girls and women – why should we continue to tolerate disrespect, abuse and disempowerment.”
