Eugenie Bouchard (Source: Twitter)
Good news guys: Casual sexism is alive and well!
In case you haven't heard (or seen the outrage on social media), here's a quick recap:
Yesterday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard defeated Kiki Bertens in straight sets. In her post-match interview - a right reserved for the victor - Tennis Australia commentator Ian Cohen asked her to "give us a twirl" and tell the crowd about her outfit.
Oof. Bad move Cohen.
As Ian's defenders have noted, he made the request after referring to the following Tweet from Bouchard the night before:
I've seen many people across Facebook, Twitter et al crying "but she made a comment about clothing first! Why is he bearing the burden of the guilt, she said it first! What's good for the goose should be good for the gander!" Etc etc.
Well, one of my (male) Facebook friends made a status to this effect earlier. My response was as follows...and I must note, it contains none of the expletives that I wanted to use, because I am a lady:
I do appreciate your point, in my opinion it comes down to context.
Eugenie commented on Serena's outfit as a spectator on a social media platform that deals in frivolity & 140-word brevity.
Cohen decided to ask her to show off her outfit, not on Twitter, or on a red carpet where people actually care to talk about their clothing, but in a professional capacity during an interview that she was granted as a victor. She was there to talk about her performance, not pirouette for the cameras.
It's casual sexism, which can be just as damaging. Like the Daily Telegraph describing Serena & Sharapova's rivalry as a "catfight." The article was about nothing more than their competitive nature towards each other (it's not like there's been any hair pulling or scratching) but simply because they're discussing female players, it becomes a "catfight". That term would never be used if they were discussing male players and that's what this essentially boils down to.
Eugenie commented on Serena's outfit as a spectator on a social media platform that deals in frivolity & 140-word brevity.
Cohen decided to ask her to show off her outfit, not on Twitter, or on a red carpet where people actually care to talk about their clothing, but in a professional capacity during an interview that she was granted as a victor. She was there to talk about her performance, not pirouette for the cameras.
It's casual sexism, which can be just as damaging. Like the Daily Telegraph describing Serena & Sharapova's rivalry as a "catfight." The article was about nothing more than their competitive nature towards each other (it's not like there's been any hair pulling or scratching) but simply because they're discussing female players, it becomes a "catfight". That term would never be used if they were discussing male players and that's what this essentially boils down to.
This sort of sexism is quiet and sneaky. You see it in profiles of women such as Marissa Meyer and Kathryn Bigelow that feel the need to mention their previous partners (Google co-founder Larry Page and James Cameron, respectively) instead of focusing solely on their professional achievements. You see it in the articles mentioned in my FB comment above, referring to a professional rivalry as a "cafight" because, apparently, women can't be competitive without someone making a MEOW sound. I have experienced it myself when I lived in a highrise apartment in Sydney's CBD and men would seriously ask me if my Daddy was paying for it. (For the record - no.)
Look. I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling bad for Ian Cohen. He probably thought he was making a harmless reference to something she had willingly shared with her followers and I am sure that he's mortified.
Let this be a lesson though, for everyone. If you wouldn't ask Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer to pirouette around the court during a post-match interview, mayyybe don't ask their female counterparts. They're not on a red carpet, they are doing their jobs and doing them well. Never mind what they've posted on Twitter.
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