In this week’s Newsletter we are focusing on those songs confirmed for Globen, as well as what slow trickle of news has yet to arrive at our doors. Robertson’s Reflection this week looks at our Eurovision hero, Måns Zelmerlöw, and how no matter where he goes now there is a culture to objectify him as that hot Eurovision winner.
Måns furthermore is now completing this Swedish classic, four long distance races in different categories which is one of the toughest physical endurances one could ever do. His training regime has been ramped up. You could see in Friends Arena this week a man who had bulked up just a little bit more and trimmed his waist down a little less after his first successful race. The result of this, if you haven’t noticed, is that Måns is scorchingly hot.
And oh boy have we been reminded of this. Attending the UK final (one that Måns originally thought was in the ‘real’ O2 Arena, rather than the intimate sidekick venue Eurovision: You Decide was actually in) Måns was publicly put on the spot and swooned over by hostess Mel Giedroyc who seemed desperate to get inside his leather pants. In Sweden this weekend comedy character Lynda Woodruff was inviting Måns to do far more as well. Lynda, in my opinion, can get away with it because the joke was very much on her, whereas at the UK show it was frankly awkward and embarrassing for a broadcaster currently with too much baggage of sexual exploitation history chained around its neck.
Keep reading the Newsletter on this link for more of the latest ESC Insight news and views from across the world of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Sometimes women get honoured at the Most F-able awards – Mariette rightly received a ribbon last year for her contribution to the field of f-ability at Melfest.
On the general subject of sexual objectification, I will say this: it’s not a level playing field. A woman sexually objectifying a man is not the same as a man sexually objectifying a woman.
Personally, I like the idea that a middle-aged woman can express her sexuality on TV and it’s fun, funny and she’s not considered a pervy old bag.
Agree (from the main newsletter) that the version of Heroes we saw at Melo will be repeated in May; the lyric sung by the kid was changed from “now sing together” to “now come together,” so we have a direct reference to this year’s slogan, and when the children lie on the floor, they’re in a circle around Måns and the child, which makes me wonder whether they’re going to link that to the dandelion clock theme.
As for the objectification, I’m kind of with Robyn: Because the playing field isn’t level (even in lovely Sweden), objectifying as if it *were* could in a way be playing into the same pretence as arguing that the USA is a “post-racial society” because it has ONE black president. The society is the same, but some sectors now think they don’t have to do anything to promote equality. So until there’s much greater parity between women and men, that playing field needs levelling. It IS just a little odd to be thinking of *increased* objectification as correcting imbalances. And then we can move on to trans* issues in Eurovision, perhaps?