Laurie Penny

Pop culture and radical politics with a feminist twist

What "panda-gate" tells us about sexism

Why were real women's brave, brilliant acts this year not considered newsworthy?

By Laurie Penny Published 28 December 2011 17:26

Unless you're one of those boring folks who has something else to do with their day other than sit on Twitter for eight hours, you'll be aware of "panda-gate" -- the fact that the BBC has selected, as one of its twelve "Faces of the Year - Women", a giant panda called Sweetie from Edinburgh zoo, who is noteworthy for being... well, a panda. Which, even for the most reclusive of zookeepers, is not the same as being a woman.

As a feminist, I of course had my sense of humour gland removed as part of an initiation ritual involving naked dancing and wobbly cups of menstrual blood, but I have at least tried to understand the hilarious joke the BBC is making here. It is, in fact, traditional for Auntie's magazine to select at least one animal or cartoon character as a "face of the year". Previous years' notables have included Peppa Pig, Marge Simpson and a giant carp. But really, a panda? That has to be doubly insulting.

The thing about pandas is that they're the most useless evolutionary dead end ever to be preserved, at great expense, in the name of sentiment and nationalist flim-flammery. They're cowardly. They hate sex. They have to be encouraged to breed using artful tricks and deceptions, which is just embarrassing for everyone, including the panda. They have one of the most impractical, least nourishing diets on earth. They have about the worst camouflage of any animal, and they spend most of their time sleeping, on the ground, in the open. Sometimes, it's just best to let nature take its course. Particularly when there are at least seven billion humans on the planet, many of whom could do with a bit more concern for their future well-being, and at least half of whom have more qualifications to be a "woman" face of the year than Sweetie the panda, delightfully fluffy as she no doubt is.

It isn't just the panda that's insulting, though. Let's compare the rest of the line-up. Newsworthy male feats in 2011 include, apparently, being a politician (3), being a police officer, being a soldier (3), being an Oscar-winning screenwriter, being an athlete, being a revolutionary martyr, being a fascist mass-murderer who definitely shouldn't have any more sodding publicity, and being shot by the Metropolitan police. To be considered a newsworthy woman in 2011, meanwhile, you have to make an allegation of rape, be a pop star, go on a date with a pop star, get married to a royal, be the sister of someone who got married to a royal, be a royal and get married to someone who isn't a royal, or be a panda called Sweetie.

At times like this, it behoves us to consider not just whether a given list conforms to our ideals of how and on what basis women should be celebrated, but whether life itself conforms to our ideals. When Twitter attempted to rectify the situation with the hashtag #realwomenoftheyear, the feed was immediately swamped with more pop stars, more famous wives, brides and girlfriends. There have, of course, been a great deal of women who have done brave, brilliant, newsworthy things this year. Female politicians, artists, film-makers, leaders and heroes. Female activists, journalists, foreign correspondents, writers, actors and pioneers. But the papers have remained far more interested in Pippa Middleton's arse. That should tell us as much about how sexism works in cultural production as it does about the BBC.

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Tags: sexism BBC

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144 comments

Thu, 2011-12-29 16:55 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"gosh, just as i was thinking you weren't enough of a pompous twat with ideas above his station, you go and correct me."

2 credits...keep it up.

Thu, 2011-12-29 16:55 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"fine by me, keep wondering."

Thu, 2011-12-29 16:57 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

Mr Man

"Spud.. I think you mean you spelled "discernible" wrongly..."

Good point.

Ian

Did you hear that sonny? When you're posting as me, please make sure the grammar's correct.

Thu, 2011-12-29 17:06 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"As a feminist, I of course had my sense of humour gland removed as part of an initiation ritual involving naked dancing and wobbly cups of menstrual blood."

Laurie...what's a 'wobbly cup',and can I get one from Argos? I'm starting to think I need to curtail my own sense of humour somewhat. It's large and contains multitudes.

Fri, 2011-12-30 21:24 — SpudMiddleton (not verified)

jankass

that YOU should be reduced to this!!!

a'n internationally recognised recording artist an'd leading academic! spending his declinin'g years searching my posts for typo's

I'm in heaven

gimme more jankass

your lameness just tipped from the end of the scale and fell into uncharted depths of naffness

I'm sure that not even you can take yourself seriously any more...you imbecile

Fri, 2011-12-30 21:57 — jankaas (not verified)

another lengthy ejaculation of nonsense proclaiming you're not fascinated by me....prick

Thu, 2011-12-29 17:39 — Buckskins (not verified)

The bamboo dies off every 60 years or so, and it does not happen at every local simultaneously. As with most animals when the food source is gone it's time for a different neighborhood.

The Pandas are threatened for one reason only, and that's us. If the Chinese never realized what a money maker they were we would be down to a handful. Even a Panda cub born in an overseas zoo belongs to China. For a zoo to get a Panda on loan for a limited time from the Chinese costs something like $1,000,000. Their cute factor is perpetuating the species. It's all about money at this stage.

Thu, 2011-12-29 17:48 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

I love a feminist spat...no sooner does Laurie write 'What "panda-gate" tells us about sexism' than Helen Lewis Hasteley hits back with 'Feminism's biggest challenge for 2012: justifying its existence'.

So, we must ask, since Laurie and certain of her "followers" have more or less declared the existence of Panda's as unjustifiable-on the basis of some shite about Bamboo ecology-can they do better job in justifying the existence of feminism...or has it reached an 'evolutionary dead end'; having exhausted its source of sustenance?

I'm pretty sure that either feminism or Pandas-or indeed the pair of them- will be gone by the end of the decade. Both are currently inhabiting an environment of dwindling justification and sucking nutrients from the dried up husk of single issue and identity politics. Considering the scenario, Laurie Penny's decision to weigh in so vehemently against a female panda beggars belief.

Thu, 2011-12-29 17:54 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

Buckskins

"The Pandas are threatened for one reason only, and that's us."

Spot on. Human encroachment on established Panda environments is...to coin a phrase...an internationally recognised issue. Consciousness raising is clearly the answer. Perhaps if some erstwhile Dutch legend of Rock could organise a benefit gig, all would not be lost. Whaddaya think?

Thu, 2011-12-29 17:57 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

I think I'd better change my name to Spud "On Fire" Middleton. A quick glance back up this thread kinda confirms what I've thought for a while: I'm a fuckin legend.

Tue, 2012-01-03 18:40 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

jankass

Happy new year right back at ya...or at least an interesting one. I knew you loved me really. Dutch rocks stars have always had a thing for me.

Thu, 2011-12-29 18:10 — jankaas (not verified)

well, there goes another thread.....

"Buckskins
29 December 2011 at 16:39"

that post was not written by Buckskins. no way. i spotted a reasoned argument. flawed, but still reasoned without swearing, so that's proof he wasn't involved.

"So, we must ask, since Laurie and certain of her "followers" have more or less declared the existence of Panda's...."

and surely that wasn't written by our Self Appointed Resident Expert Linguist Spud? "...Panda's..."??!! you cheap fake....

"A quick glance back up this thread kinda confirms what I've thought for a while: I'm a fuckin legend."

your posting frenzy is just more circumstantial evidence of your multi-personality-disorder.

still delighted that you (also?) have such envy of my past;

"Dutch legend of Rock "

but get it right, i played both kind of music - Punk and Rock...

Mon, 2012-01-02 02:01 — Drakula

I am all for women physicists getting the limelight, but then what are we going to do with poor Sweetie?

Put her in her natural habitat, which I think is a zebra crossing?

Thu, 2011-12-29 18:16 — Buckskins (not verified)

Spud.

Laurie would draw more money if she did her "Burlesque" routine that she did professionally for over a year. She would cry when her costume (such as it was) was too tight to get into, but she has since learned to moderate her diet and looks fantastic.

On the other hand...an Internationally Recognized Entertainer such as Jackass, with all his smash hits an'all, could open for her?

If only sweet Laurie liked Pandas......*sigh*

Mon, 2012-01-02 02:07 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

I think if you look at people from a purely biological perspective then males desire sex with females and women 'need' sex from men. It's just in our biological make up like any other animal. Society changes things and maybe the mix of certain genes mean that some people desire gay sex.

When I hitched I was often picked up by gay men who wold try it on ... unsuccessfully. Do I have any gay in me? I doubt it but you never know.

Laurie Penny probably has a lot of bits in her that she can't resolve. A few laps of doggy paddle in the local pool will never iron out all her thoughts of sexual orientation or whether she is in love with me or not. Or whether I am with her. Still, I can wait. At the moment the waves of affectation are gentle breakers in a little puddle. They will always be there but will they get any bigger?

Thu, 2011-12-29 18:20 — Buckskins (not verified)

Why Jackass, thank you so much for the compliment.

Thu, 2011-12-29 18:24 — Buckskins (not verified)

Lets get it right Spud. You're an Internationally Recognized Fucken Legend.

Fri, 2011-12-30 23:40 — SpudMiddleton (not verified)

"another lengthy ejaculation of nonsense proclaiming you're not fascinated by me....prick"

...prompted by yet another of post of yours

ahem...picks nose for a bit...rolls a fag...erm...aren't you meant to be ignoring me? Shouldn't you be in a protracted royalty disagreement with Sony over the 'missing millions' or putting the final touches to your paradigm shifting proof of Goldbach's conjecture?

Leave me alone you sad little man.

Mon, 2012-01-02 03:08 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Time will tell if this thing she has for me and that I have for her will last the test of time. It'll be interesting to see when Laurie is at 39 that these feelings will be the same, that these bodies will still be parted, that our thoughts will be written.

At 39 will she still be mine?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5IRpyMmRbc

Mon, 2012-01-02 03:13 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

I'm getting stronger. Just got to take one leap at a time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9cTVJtsS9c&feature=related

Fri, 2011-12-30 23:52 — SpudMiddleton (not verified)

I'd intended a PS

jankass

you don't need to tell me

I know this isn't really getting to you at all

I know just how calm and in control you are

Now prove it by shutting up

and in return I'll just ignore you until the next time you say something stupid

in other words

shut up

Thu, 2011-12-29 18:42 — jankaas (not verified)

"Why Jackass, thank you so much for the compliment."

but it wasn't really 'you' now was it Suckspricks...

Tue, 2012-01-03 19:29 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

Ian

7000? Fuck off sonny. That's national mythological revisionist bullshit. It was 40,000+

Also

How many of your '250,000' were actually German? What about the Albanians, Poles, Ukranians, Bosnians, Croats, French, Italian, Swedes, Finns, Norwegians, Galicians, Flemish, Walloon, Russian, Belarusian, Hungarian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian...

Do you think anybody's really very keen on admitting just how many of their countrymen signed up?

Go and do your sums again...and drop the 'Dead Fred' you fuckin plantpot.

Mon, 2012-01-02 07:33 — Mr. Divine (not verified)

Drakula: Are you talking about a zebra crossing where people cross a busy road? Is that really the panda's natural habitat?

Sat, 2011-12-31 02:00 — jankaas (not verified)

"I'd intended a PS"

spoken like a proper, deranged stalker.

Thu, 2011-12-29 19:15 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"but get it right, i played both kind of music - Punk and Rock..."

Oh I see...your talent enabled you to straddle musical genres...like when the Nolan Sisters made their Hip Hop album. But I'd always assumed that for you, 'both kinds of music' meant 'Country' and 'Western'...I'd know how big line dancing is the Netherlands.

@"Spud 'On Fire' Middleton"...who posted at 16:57

"A quick glance back up this thread kinda confirms what I've thought for a while: I'm a fuckin legend."

Ian...or whoever you are..ie. Ian

Your post was flawed in one fatal respect: my real arrogance is far more nuanced...it is imbued with tonal and textural variety. That said, I find it hard to contest the basic premiss of the post...I am on fire.

Tue, 2012-01-03 21:24 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

Ian

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-ss-officer-finally-faces-german-...

OH look...Even "Radio Netherlands" puts the number at...erm...let's see..

#Close to 350,000 volunteers from at least 16 Nazi-occupied countries in Europe volunteered to fight with the Waffen SS - in most cases against the then Soviet Union (USSR).

Of these, around 125,000 came from western Europe. Those recruited in eastern Europe came mainly from the Baltic States (under Soviet domination) and the Ukraine (then part of the USSR).

The number of Dutch SS volunteers is estimated to have been between 22,000 and 23,000. Some 7,000 actually died in combat.#

Now let's say 23,000 is a fairly conservative estimate...then let's subtract all the foreign nationalities from your figure of 250,000 and work out the proportions again.

250,000 - 350, 000 = -100,000

So that means there were "-100,000" germans in the SS...whatever that might mean. What is means is your figures are plain fuckin wrong. Which is what happens when you use Wiki as your source.

I await your apology with eager anticipation. Oh...btw...does claiming more Germans were in the SS than was actually the case make you a 'malignant racist'? If not, why not. Then after your apology-Go away, you silly little boy.

Wed, 2012-03-14 18:19 — RidgleyStanford

That a species no longer finds its adaptations suitable to changed circumstances does not make it a "dead end", for one thing extinction is a perfectly routine outcome for a species; for another, evolution hasn't 'finished' with the Panda; it's simply that the time-scales required for random mutations to 're-adapt' the Panda will probably prove greater than the Panda's likely length of continued existence. http://www.diyhomerenovations.org/

Tue, 2012-01-03 22:06 — jankaas (not verified)

31 December 2011 at 16:09

Mon, 2012-01-02 14:11 — jankaas (not verified)

i do hope some Psychology student somewhere is taking notes. it's beginning to look like a decent case study.

Happy New Year to (all of) you...

Thu, 2011-12-29 20:48 — jankaas (not verified)

"'both kinds of music' meant 'Country' and 'Western'"

thanks for labouring the point of that joke so drearily. and again well done you for missing yet another massive clue...

...truly hopeless.

btw well done for not dwelling on you writing the plural of Pandas as Panda's. lol.

best if you stop handing out advice dontchathink....?

Thu, 2011-12-29 21:00 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"thanks for labouring the point of that joke so drearily. and again well done you for missing yet another massive clue..."

massive clue? You mean a massive clue to the whereabouts of the missing 'National Directory of Who Gives a Fuck'?

"btw well done for not dwelling on you writing the plural of Pandas as Panda's. lol.

best if you stop handing out advice dontchathink....?"

Don't be silly jankass...I was chucking Ian a bone. I feel a bit sorry for the poor kid. His mam grounded him and banned him from the computer for a month...apparently he was chatting online with this middle-aged guy who claimed to be an "ex rock star".

Kids, eh? when are they gonna learn?

Tue, 2012-01-03 23:41 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

jankass

You can't drink the milk until you're off the horse.

Sat, 2011-12-31 12:51 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

ignoring me again?

find someone else to bother you silly and sad little creature

Wed, 2011-12-28 17:43 — Steve O (not verified)

Sweetie made a good choice in coming to the only part of the UK which has a future. That alone entitles her to be included in the list. More giant pandas in Scotland now than Westminster Tory MP's. That will be extended to Nu£abour MP's too.

Sat, 2011-12-31 12:54 — Sarah (not verified)

Is there anyone moderating this, or does the comments policy allow for unadulterated bile to be directed at the author/ the topic/ fellow commenters? If I wanted to read this kind of hate I'd be on the Daily Mail site.

Wed, 2011-12-28 17:48 — priggy

To be fair, Sweetie is a female panda. If they picked the male panda that would be going to far.
Again, to be fair, the BBC said Faces of the year - women - they didn't mention what species the women had to be.

In fairness, the whole need to be royalty or a pop star or a famous wive - that is a problem.

Thu, 2011-12-29 21:46 — jankaas (not verified)

'National Directory of Who Gives a Fuck'

for over a week you've been stalking me, being all weird and cryptic, compulsively off topic, but in fact you just don't care.......

just when i thought i couldn't laugh at you even more, you prove me wrong. brilliant!

Sat, 2011-12-31 13:29 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"Is there anyone moderating this, or does the comments policy allow for unadulterated bile to be directed at the author/ the topic/ fellow commenters?"

Ah...it's Sarah...no doubt another soi-disant open-minded progressive left-liberal with an interest in online debate.
And being as open-minded and free-thinking as she is, the first thing she comes out with...and I'll paraphrase: "I don't like this. Why can't somebody delete it all?"
Yep...the classic liberal mind set: WE DEMAND CENSORSHIP NOW!

I've got a feeling you'll fit right in at the Mail.
You might not like the above. You might not find it especially life-enhancing or edifying. I'm not especially proud of it myself...although I'm not exactly bothered to be honest. But why do you want to censor it?
Did it detract from the ongoing fascinating discussion which Laurie's brilliant piece inspired?

Btw

Did you read all of it? I'm sure you did as it happens but, supposing you pretend otherwise and I choose to accept the fact, then you have already imposed your own individualised tailor-made standard of moderation. Why would you choose to limit the ability of others to do the same? Can't they be 'trusted'?

Don't get the idea I'd recommend anyone to read it. It's all a bit pointless and turgid. But why would you deny them the opportunity?

Wed, 2011-12-28 18:11 — Buckskins (not verified)

I think Sweetie is just as cute as can be, and well deserving of her face of the year selection by people with some taste. Now Laurie, she is not as cute as you, but the orphan baby Polar Bear cub in the Copenhagen zoo has you beat.

Pandas are not useless. They are big money makers for any Zoo. Edinburgh Zoo needs all the help it can get, even if the Chinese get most of it.

Wed, 2011-12-28 18:13 — Fred (not verified)

From the page you quote for females of the year:

January - Politician
Gabrielle Giffords, US Congresswoman

August - Politician
US Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

September - Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff

In other news, the first female Commander of a Royal Navy warship has been all over the news.

You were saying?

Pennyred New Year's Resolution: a) do some research, b) don't exaggerate your point so far that it collapses under the rhetoric.

If we can have c) don't simply make things up and call it news (such as the invisible water cannon at the last City Demo) then we may get somewhere in 2012.

Fred

Wed, 2011-12-28 19:20 — Tom (not verified)

Are pandas really so evolutionarily backward?

At least people like them.

If someone put Laurie Penny in a zoo, would anyone feed her?

Wed, 2011-12-28 19:37 — John P Reid (not verified)

the lack of media coverage about women could be the fact that, they either are inward looking or play the victim to well, look at the "chtick" atttude of Catlin moran as if she talks for all women, when she's nver ahd a job, or the Julie bindel view that soicety is sexist as Men are now asking for rights on things ,like inncoent ones having their dna removed or not being named and shamed when arrested for rape before they've been found guilty or not

Sat, 2011-12-31 15:38 — Dickie1

"But why do you want to censor it?"

This pandgate is an unmitigated load of old shite, no two ways about it, but as always you hijack the comments with your, ongoing fight with the other resident haemorrhoids - rubbing against each other and getting more and more sore. That's one reason, wouldn't you say?

And let's have these figures about Dutch Nazis.

Wed, 2011-12-28 20:00 — Tesco Shelf Stacker (not verified)

'They're cowardly. They hate sex. They have to be encouraged to breed using artful tricks and deceptions' ... sounds like the conservative middle-class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMhVXMOvjQw

Wed, 2012-01-04 02:46 — Drakula

Mr Divine; well it could be if one panders to public taste. I was only joking, I sent a similar post two nights and I think I got censored. Why I don't know.

Thu, 2011-12-29 22:54 — dillon (not verified)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ob_xMuPbk&feature=relmfu....hzppy christmas and new year to all...

Sat, 2011-12-31 15:58 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"That's one reason, wouldn't you say?"

No. A subjective judgement that something is shite and pointless is hardly a valid criterion...unless it's my subjective judgement. Which is all I should say at this point since, if the threshold was set according to my standard, I wouldn't be writing this because your post would have been deleted along with the article. In fact all we'd have left would be posts headed "Spud Middleton".

Also, in your post you gave two 'reasons'.

Sat, 2011-12-31 16:01 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"dead fred"

Go out and play Ian. You're clearly not up to this.

"Why, because if anybody cares to check they will find as I did.."

give us a link then "fred"

"then the others can post theirs."

Which others? You and who else?

Thu, 2011-12-29 23:25 — Spud Middleton (not verified)

"for over a week you've been stalking me, being all weird and cryptic, compulsively off topic, but in fact you just don't care......."

BOOM!!!...over a week? how does that work? I certainly posted today...but I think the last time before today was at least 5 days ago. Have you decided I'm somebody else again jankass?
Go on then, let's hear it...who am I this time? I was weird and cryptic was I?

Let me make this quite clear jankass: I haven't posted as anybody else on here...so, erm...what the fuck are you talking about?

"just when i thought i couldn't laugh at you even more, you prove me wrong. brilliant!"

no doubt about it jankass...you're just sitting laughing...you're totally balanced...and you've really got a handle on things. You remember that jankass.