Twelve months of sexist jerkery – and those who stood up to it
Twelve months of sexist jerkery – and those who stood up to it
From sweet victories to strange male obsessions to straight out sexist garbage, here is the feminists’ year in review
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‘Payne’s glorious denunciation that the sexists who’d knocked her could “get stuffed” was a sunshine-bright defiance amid the enduring, misogynist gloom.’ Photograph: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
This week, journalists across Belgrade and five other Serbian cities gathered to demand that Serbia’s defence minister resign for making a sexist remark. The protests were sparked at a press conference two weeks ago – a female journalist crouched to stay out of camera view and Bratislav Gasic thought it opportune to remark “I love it when female journalists kneel so easily”.
In the face of outrage, Serbia’s prime minister has promised to dismiss him, but with that dismissal not forthcoming, a furious press corps hit the streets, holding signs that declared “Journalists Do Not Kneel”.
Sexist garbage like that uttered by Gasic was once a privilege of male social entitlement all over the world, and passed wholly unremarked. But a global feminist movement that can now see its own vastness through access to social media has mobilised impressive denouncements of those still grasping for the privilege of old inequalities.
The protests in Serbia are but the symbolic December conclusion to a worldwide year of sexist jerkery, and the rage spawned in its wake.
JANUARY
Eugenie Bouchard bounced into ‘Twirlgate’ by Australian reporter
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The year began in sport, with the humiliating treatment of Canada’s highest-ever ranked tennis player, Eugenie Bouchard, at the Australian Open. The 20-year-old former Wimbledon finalist had just crushed Dutch opponent Kiki Bertens in a straight-sets victory, 6-0, 6-3. Yet the attributes of raw strength, tactical mastery and athleticism required for such a victory went curiously uncelebrated in her post-match interview, when male commentator, Ian Cohen, asked the world No7 “Can you give us a twirl?”
“A twirl?” She replied.
“A twirl, like a pirouette, here you go,” urged Cohen, indicating her tennis skirt.
The Guardian reported: “Somewhat uncomfortably, the No7-ranked player did as she was asked, then laughed and buried her face in her hands.”
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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/23/twelve-months-of-sexist-jerkery-and-those-who-stood-up-to-it
