The Empress’s New Clothes (Or Lack Thereof)

Australian political cartoonist, Mark Knight, is in the firing line again. In 2018, he drew a cartoon depicting Serena Williams having a tantrum, which she did, which drew accusations of racism and sexism, despite the Australian Press Council ruling that it did not breach any media standards. Knight recently drew a cartoon of the new premier of Victoria, Jacinta Allan – here’s a real-life picture of her – where she is walking down a runway at a fashion show wearing nothing but her glasses. The caption reads, “From the Commonwealth Games cancellation collection… The Premier’s new clothes”. Obviously, this is linking the Premier’s involvement in the Commonwealth Games fiasco to the Hans Christian Andersen fable, The Emperor’s New Clothes, where an emperor is conned into wearing a magnificent set of clothes that are invisible to stupid or incompetent people. As he proudly marches in a procession before the whole city, the emperor’s servants and townsfolk go along with the pretence, not wanting to go against popular opinion.

As expected, the usual suspects have come out of the woodwork criticising the cartoon for being ‘sexist’. “In 2023, to be going through that sexualised imagery… is just not on.” Ben Carroll, Deputy Premier of Victoria. “I think it uses sexism. I doubt Mark Knight would think it’s sexist but it’s definitely something we see happen a lot with women in authority, that the focus is on their clothes and their bodies.” Niki Vincent, Victoria’s Gender Equality Commissioner. “Today’s Herald Sun cartoon of Premier Allan is disgraceful. It says more about an old guard establishment that can’t cope with women in leadership. So, they try to ridicule, sexualise and minimise us. Yet another reason we need more women in power.” Samantha Ratnam, Leader of the Victorian Greens. The Premier herself said, “It’s 2023. I think it’s pretty reasonable to expect – very reasonable to expect – that women can be depicted without using sexualised imagery.”

I don’t think it was sexualised, no more than you could say that a copy of the children’s book The Emperor’s New Clothes is sexualised, and I certainly don’t think the cartoon was sexist. What would be sexist is if the cartoonist refused to draw the Premier in this way because she’s a woman. That would be sexist.

To be fair to the cartoonist, he has drawn many images of male politicians in similar ways. Here’s former Premier Daniel Andrews swimming naked underwater chasing those 0-case-donuts. Here’s former Prime Minister Tony Abbott not wearing a mask, and when he gets a fine, he uses his Speedos to cover his face. Did anybody claim this was sexualised or sexist? Here’s another one of Daniel Andrews being objectified in a cartoon as a scantily clad firefighter. Doesn’t this espouse outdated male beauty standards? What about Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton wearing a loin cloth? Actually, this cartoon was nominated for an award! I don’t remember any of the Greens complaining about this one. What about on the cover of the New Yorker, or any other of the many versions of this cartoon showing a naked Trump, again using The Emperor’s New Clothes analogy. Because he’s a man, does it not count? Now who’s being sexist?

Mary Crooks, Executive director of the Victorian Women’s Trust seems to think that it’s different when it’s a man. She said, “The depiction of a naked female political leader does not convey the same meaning as a male leader, such as Tony Abbott in his budgie smugglers. In a weird, kind of perverse way, that was… a subliminal appeal to the manliness and the alpha male, testosterone male, so it was a different subliminal intent.” Oh was it now? A subliminal appeal to manliness? Does this image of Daniel Andrews reek of manliness to you? I think not.

You know what we should do to people who criticise these cartoons as being sexist? Politely disagree with them, or simply ignore them.

HERALD SUN CARTOONIST DEFENDS NUDE CATWALK DEPICTION OF VICTORIAN PREMIER JACINTA ALLAN
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-24/jacinta-allan-victorian-premier-herald-sun-cartoon-mark-knight/103013652

JACINTA ALLAN KNEW COST OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES HAD NEARLY DOUBLED MONTHS BEFORE EVENT ABANDONED, INQUIRY HEARS
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-09/commonwealth-games-jacinta-allan-knew-costs-doubled-months-ago/102951612

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Allégro by Emmit Fenn