Beard Liberation Front
24th February
Media Release
Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266
Campaigners demand action on ‘beard hate’ language in Roald Dahl’s The Twits
The Beard Liberation Front has said that following an exercise to ‘modernise’ the language in the children’s books of Roald Dahl, some alterations have been made to The Twits, described by the Guardian as an ‘anti-beard manifesto’.
However none of the, minor, changes impact on the pogonophobia- beard hate- that is a central part of the book.
In the Twits, Mr Twit, a generally rather disgusting character is portrayed as someone who never washes or takes any care of his beard. As a result remains of previous meals, including stilton, sardines and scrambled egg can be found in it.
The campaigners say that while Dahl’s caricature of beard wearers is something that the hirsute can laugh about, it is notable that while the modernising project has rightly considered sexism and misogyny to be unacceptable in 2023, beard hatred is still OK.
In a reception at Clarence House the Queen Consort has backed complaints about tweaks to Dahl’s book & implicitly therefore also backed his beard hatred.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Roald Dahl was a known beard hater and The Twits is a reflection of this. It remains however a classic and something the hirsute can laugh at. We remain interested to learn though why pogonophobia was considered acceptable by the modernising project.
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