On May 8 and 10, Europe’s public voted en masse for Poland (the jury, eh, not so much). But, it wasn’t for the biting satire or the wicked beat. Largely, it was for butter churning and laundry. Very suggestive butter churning and laundry, that is. Poland basically qualified because they objectified women. Even though quite a few members of the Wiwi Jury adore their song, there is a consensus that people were not voting with their ears, but with other members of their body instead.
Yes, “My Slowianie” and “Slavic Girls” are satirical songs—but only if you’re in on the joke. Otherwise, it sounds very weird and overtly misogynistic and sexist. And even though most Eurovision fans are aware of this, the general public is not.
So when Cleo and her chorus of maids came to the stage and shook what their mamas gave them, they told Europe it’s OK for people to view them as sexual objects, who lack any sense of humanity or purpose except to look good while doing chores. As they flashed their generous breasts, the audience roared. Europe celebrated anatomy rather than musicality, and conflated success with flesh.
It speaks volumes that in so many countries Poland was ranked #1 by televoters but dead last by the jury. While the jury judged the song, televoters judged the women—and women. Encouraging that behavior isn’t cute, no matter how pretty you are.
Does anyone notice that Salute by Little Mix sounds like Slavic Girls by Donatan and Cleo?
@Edward
I love you.
This “article” made complete sense to me after I took a good look at the author’s photo and realized that she is also american.
Americans shouldn’t even be writing about Eurovision. Like ever. They have no grasp on the contest’s essence and their zero knowledge on Europe and europeans makes their view on the whole thing very shallow.
Oh and let’s not forget. Women beg to be objectified these days. Funny how their “insulted” alarms go off when they are faced with the reality they have been creating ever since the end of WWII.
@ Jordania Si me pones como ejemplos los ICONOS mundiales del pop,me quedo con el estilo de Ukrania 2014,pero respeto tu postura.
@Paco
Take a look at the performances from famous pop icons and then look at Poland’s performance… HUGE difference.
Jordania YO no estoy en contra del acto de Polonia y Cleo en esc,pero este tipo de acto no aporta nada nuevo y original,siempre el mismo estereotipo tia buena igual a sexo,en pleno siglo 21 la imagen de la mujer en ese contexto ya esta muy visto y es un recurso muy facil y simple.
@Paco
It’s about entertainment and publicity. Poland did just that.
The most puzzling question is not why people voted for Poland sexy ladies that “shaked what their mother gave them” or for the Austrian drag queen singing “rise like a penis”. The remaining top 3 most voted surprise act was Netherlands not sure if anyone can explain why that was voted.
Aqui se debate si esto es arte…si pero vulgar y muy viejo no a la exibicion gratuita de la mujer
@Nanda
Please take your feminist ego elsewhere and go read your Twilight books.
THANK YOU for writing this Editorial.
A misogynistic and sexist “joke”, is still a misogynistic and sexist remark. And this one was made in front of millions of people.
And BTW, there is no joke, fun or satirical value on being misogynistic and sexist.
It saddens me that women support this kind of thing
I think that watching this in the semi final and final was like watching a pornographic rap video. Cleo’s rapping wasn’t as aggressive as the likes of Eminem (Thank God because I HATE rap music), but it was a lot more ”bitch fight” if you like.
I have said it before and I will say it again, Cleo looks like Tulisa Contostavlos from The X Factor UK in a short Eastern European skirt and laced up boots. Maybe Cleo did what Tulisa did and punched a Eurovision Blogger in the face. 😛
@Tziki
Your comment just shows why a lot of artists don’t bother to send something modern, original and fresh. You people support the same outdated rubbish that has plagued the contest in the past. Go take your prudish ego elsewhere…
@Paco
There’s nothing wrong with sexy butter churning! 😀
This shows why sometimes it’s good we have the juries back at Eurovision.
This got a lot of televotes because of the boobs, not because of the song. The song itself isn’t nearly good enough to get 5th place.
Justamente a eso me refiero Jordania,es un acto muy visto y recurrente por ejemplo a Ukrania, no le hizo falta batir mantequilla para verse sexy
@Paco
Poland’s performance is entertainment. That’s all it is.
Creo que Cleo y sus bailarinas no son malas personas,son artistas solamente.El problema que veo en su acto es la ACTITUD de unas señoritas dando un mensaje claramente sexual ya muy visto y siempre recurrente,de señoritas que estan muy buenas,malo no creo que sea pero positivo para la imagen global de la mujer positivo no es
Yes Wiley, absolutely “scraping the bottom of the barrel.” The contest was over one month ago and the “casual reader” that you both seem to feign concern with have long forgotten the contest, the song and the performance.
@Veronica
“Conchita is bad for Europe and for children”.
Apparently Europe is much more accepting and tolerant than you would like it to be. Btw, it’s very manipulative to hide your own hatred behind “for our children’s sake” phrase. You think that makes your hatred more acceptable? Guess what? It’s doesn’t.
Donatan and Cleo rescued the honor of Europe!! Conchita is bad for Europe and for children. All girls in the whole world have boobs — This is normal. Bearded lady isn’t.
I’m with Vladimir in that men are objectified all the time in Eurovision and in the wider media. A fuss isn’t made of that. I’ve lost count of the number of topless men appearing in Eurovision acts – even though they do leave a lasting visual image.
You are clearly out of your mind!
“Bearded lady” is OK, this is not.
In which imaginary world do you all live in? Like, hello! Earth calling here!
No way Cleo can be bad for anything or anyone. Quite the opposite: she’s THE woman of the last ESC, with her powerful voice and her great performance.
Some of the jurors went all prude and that’s it. Shame on them, but despite their misjudgment, Cleo can return in Poland keeping her head high.
Eurovision needs more singers as good as Cleo and more daring acts like this.
Uuuum ok with the same logic I can make an article about Malta or Latvia or Iceland and say how boring and awful staging/song they had… only cause they are my bottom 3… please this article is ridiculous… And yes as many have stated then they see half-naked men anything is ok or then Ireland this year showed boobs without being ironic but when it cames to Poland nooooooo evil Poland is awful and their song should be baned cause it says the truth!!! Get A Life
@Daphne “Men don’t understand” is what’s dangerous – it sounds like you think men are just too stupid to understand how women feel. This performance was ironic and make a political and social issue out of it is consciously interpreting it in a way that was intended to be. Yes, women are raped and beaten by men (or other women) and that is horrible. Every possible assistance and help should be provided to them and people committing these crimes should be strictly punished. However, insinuating that these performance indirectly supports raping and beating is just plain evil. Also, choosing to… Read more »
Troll article is troll. Yawn.
@Thiefo
That’s because people are morons…
I can say I agree with Francheska because I saw it first hand, I saw the final with some of my non-ESC-fans and they thought Poland’s performance was just tacky and objectified women, when I tried to explain them that the song was a satire they didn’t listen, they just saw what was in front of their eyes. Same happened with France’s btw, they just heard a goofy song about a moustache and dismissed it immediatly as just a joke song. That is the truth about the casual audience of Eurovision, more often than not, the “clever” songs like My… Read more »
@JarJarBling
Darling, I think that’s because you NEED to be silenced. Take your prudish feminist ego elsewhere…
@jordan: you’re another example of a man trying to silence a woman. well i have a voice, and i don’t have to flash my boobs to prove it.
@JarJarBling
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2n5beG3jQ1qdwr58.gif
THANK YOU DAPHNE! Men have no reason to complain about objectification. They receive all the plum jobs, promotions, etc. And they are not the victims of domestic violence and rape as frequently as women. Men who say “oohhh, it’s a double standard” are IGNORANT about the difficulties women face day in day out because of gender. The article is not inflammatory. It’s all you male commentators who fail to understand dynamics of being a woman in a man’s world. PEACE
It’s non-sense to talk about a “double standard” for men. Sure, women sexualise men with no shirts. But around the world women are RAPED and BEATEN by men. That is why the objectification of women is important. If you objectify a woman it’s dangerous. Men cannot understand this. They don’t know what it’s like to walk down an alley and have to worry about being attacked
The article is just to stir the pot. For me Donatan and Cleo songs were by far the most interesting and innovative this year.
That’s strange – last year when Ryan Dolan’s drum players were on stage half-naked, I don’t remember the writer of this article complaining about men being objectified. It seems that only happens to women, huh?
Francheska, can I just remind you that you were the only Wiwi judge who gave the song 10/10 not long ago?
I still find this “editorial” very disrespectful and biased (not to mention its ludicrous title).
Please, Francheska from wiwibloggs… “Be tolerant”
I was going to write an in-depth rebuttal that would have put the author and a lot of the “politically correct” morons to shame, but I realized there’s no point wasting my time. Here’s what I have to say…
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2n5beG3jQ1qdwr58.gif
I’ve had this type of argument with one of my female friends. I consider it double standards. Why is it sexist for women to use their sexuality, but when men wear less it is fine. If sexy people want to show it allow them. It would only be sexist if men forced the women in to it, but they chose to flaunt their breast. Many women like to use their sexuality to empower themselves, by controlling men with it. Is that wrong letting women choose, or making them all cover up like some sexist extreme islamic state. Chose is freedom,… Read more »
The beard was not a sexual gimmick. In fact most people objected to it because it ruined their idea of “femininity”. If there was any satire in the contest about the way women are “supposed” to look like to please male viewers, that was provided by Conchita. The breasts on the other hand were a sexual gimmick 100%. That being said, we have seen plenty of undressed male bodies objectified at Eurovision over the years. If anything, the contest has proven time and again that it does not discriminate. Since the contest is an equal-opportunities sexploiter, I believe that the… Read more »
The juries didn’t vote with their ears.
I think the juries marked Poland down because of the performance and they did basically the same thing as you criticised the public for doing but in this case gave them lower scores because they thought like the editor of this article. (Not that it’s a bad way of thinking)
Anyway Poland deserved better and the jurors should have judged the music rather than the performance but Eurovision is a TV show.
We are here to encourage a rational and respectful discussion, not to throw around slurs and degrade each other. Let’s just keep that in mind.
Yeah Brndn, I have read your comment and I agree with you now. We took the whole thing FAR too seriously. It wasn’t a fun performance for an energectic song. Also, Kasey’s vocals live were DEPLORABLE. As much as ‘Heartbeat’ is a good song, I think that Kasey’s horrific live performance let us down. The staging was messy and in general, it was just a seriously flawed live performance for a song that could have gotten into the top 10 in the Final. 🙁 🙁
@Dhani – Good to see you’re eloquent and respectful of other’s opinions as always.
i’m so tired to listen this kind of comments, if girls try to show their sensuality is not ok but yes to see gays acting weird and so controvertial, come on, open minded people is not just the one who are in pro of lgtb community, acept straight people likes and this kind of performances
f*** you
this song is together with montenegro the best this year so i think you should shut the fuck up and respect other’s music opinions !!!!
Jerico, the CASUAL ‘television’ viewer is treated to much worse from selling shampoo to shoes in multi-second clips called commercials. I can almost guarantee that there were much worse scenes sandwiched between the Eurovision Song Contest in the name of advertizing. Again, it’s ironic that both Francheska and Wiley had their previous articles reference cleavage and boobs – the first being a caption contest, the second a “casual” comment. Only now, some weeks after do they take issue. Francheska is so aghast, yet she has plastered a seemingly “very graphic animated image” as the introduction to her article – odd!