When Vince Chong Joked About Women On Instagram, The Reactions Took An Extreme Turn
In less than a week, the Malaysian singer has had two controversial Instagram posts that unexpectedly blew up due to its "sexist" nature.
By Samantha Khor — 13 Mar 2015, 11:24 PM
On 8 March, which also happened to be International Women's Day, local artist Vince Chong uploaded the following image onto his Instagram
You see, Vince's post ended up being a subject of contention with over 130 comments as some of his followers commented on the "sexist" nature of the image
Others quickly came to his defence, stating that they don't think it's a big deal as it was merely a joke and that people are just being too sensitive
While the post itself indeed was intended to be a joke, commenters pointed out that it is not the intention that is the issue but the result, citing that social norms have made it so that sexist jokes may not seem that offensive to some
With the repeated usage of the word "sexist" in every other comment, it pays to know the meaning of the word itself for context.
Excerpt: the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "sexism" as 'prejudice or discrimination based on sex' or 'behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex'.
It is also important to note the situations in which certain behaviours can be construed as "sexist". A particular commenter noted that it is a matter of action from a discriminator (regardless of gender) rather than a person's capability
Meanwhile, Vince himself has admitted to The Star that the post was ill-timed, but he did not mean to offend or belittle women with the post
“My aunt sent me the cartoon. I thought it was funny, so I shared it on social media,” he said, adding that he did not expect the post to “blow up” online.
“I respect my aunt, my mum and my sisters so much because they can laugh at it. I personally think that it is healthy to joke about things. It is not good to take everything too seriously. Laughter is the best medicine,” he added.
But just when you thought the controversy has blown away, the singer posted yet another image that seems to have drawn more flak from his followers on 12 March
Some pointed out that the post contradicts his stance on supporting women's rights and called for an apology, noting that being a "comedian" does not mean one gets a free pass to "make fun of women in this manner".
Similarly to the previous post, others came forward to say that Vince's posts are usually meant to be jokes; they were taking things too seriously and that the "sexist" accusations were uncalled for
