Strictly judges accused of sexism towards male dancers
STRICTLY Come Dancing has become embroiled in a sexism row, after its judges were criticised over their comments to male dancers.
After two episodes of the competition, the BBC received 128 complaints about issues including sexist comments about a male contestant, blasphemous language and viewers finding a samesex dance partnership inappropriate.
The BBC has not previously received such a large number of complaints about sexism directed at male contestants.
During the first week of series 19 judge Shirley Ballas told contestant Ugo Monye, a former rugby player, that in his “pink outfit, you have all the gear, my dear… there is not a part of your body that doesn’t want to move. Even if it’s not supposed to, it wants to.” “And that’s what I like,” she added. While it is not clear whether the complaints to the BBC refer specifically to her remarks, some comments made this year to a male dancer revealed a “double standard”, a male sexual abuse and rape charity boss has said. In last week’s episode, judge Craig Revel Horwood told Gorka Márquez, a professional male dancer: “It really has made my night seeing you on all fours, darling.”
Duncan Craig, of Survivors Manchester, said that if this remark had been said to a female contestant by a man, “there would be absolute outrage”. He added that it was a harmful “double standard”.
Mr Craig said there was an “acceptability when it comes from a male to a male, or it comes from a female to a male”, and that view should be tackled.
“I’d be interested to see what people said if it was a straight male saying it to a male contestant, would they see something different, would they see it as being predatory, or would they say it in the same way as people often present that kind of thing – the camp TV presenter or TV judge saying it,” he added.
A review of complaints to Ofcom found that of 113 complaints made about the show since April 2017, six fell into the category of gender discrimination and offence. The BBC and Strictly Come Dancing judges mentioned were asked to comment.