Do Call Me Shirley

Earlier this month, when British actress Pauline Collins passed away, her obituaries noted her breakout role in “Shirley Valentine.” The role, which she originated on stage before taking to the screen, earned Pauline an Oscar nomination and Tony, Olivier and BAFTA awards. But what it really did was solidify the still-radical-in-1989 idea that middle-class housewives should be allowed to have dreams beyond domestic servitude. Yet, here we are 36 years later, and a whole genre of men (you know the type, they run our federal government now) are out there saying, out loud, that wouldn’t women just be happier if they were back in the home again? But it was true in 1989 as it is true in 2025, women contain multitudes. And if they want to fuck off to Greece at a moment’s notice, they should absolutely fuck off to Greece. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Thanks for the reminder, Shirley. Rest in power, Pauline.