The Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan has criticised a cartoon printed in a Melbourne newspaper for its “sexualised” depiction of her.
The cartoon, drawn by Mark Knight and printed in The Herald Sun, illustrated a naked Allan walking down the Melbourne Fashion Week catwalk, with parts of her body pixilated.
“From the Commonwealth Games cancellation collection… the Premier’s new clothes,” the caption of the cartoon read.
Asked about this cartoon Premier Jacinta Allan says ‘it’s 2023 – the Herald Sun should be able to draw women without sexualised imagery’ @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/hMRi7Pb2f3
— Sharnelle Vella (@SharnelleVella) October 23, 2023
The Premier fronted reporters at a press conference on Tuesday morning at a school in Melbourne and responded to questions regarding the cartoon.
“It’s 2023. I think it’s pretty reasonable to expect that the Herald Sun in-house cartoonist should be able to draw women without using sexualised imagery,” she said.
“I think all women deserve to open the paper, look at images that are there for public consumption and not see sexualised imagery to represent them.”
When asked whether she had seen a male politician drawn in a cartoon this way, she responded: “Not to my recollection.”
While Allan said it’s “not just women in positions like mine” that are subject to “sexualised” representations, Victoria’s Minister for Education Ben Carroll said he was reminded of Julia Gillard’s wish upon her exit from politics that “the next woman in a leadership position to not have to go through what she did”.
At the press conference, Carroll said the cartoon was “incredibly disappointing”.
Well done to Sharnelle Vella (7) in calling out the Herald Sun – earlier querying whether male politicians were ever depicted naked on a catwalk.
— Squizz (@SquizzSTK) October 23, 2023
(Ben Caroll was reminded of similar treatment by Murdoch towards Julia Gillard)#auspol pic.twitter.com/NXSvJTFcoN
“And as the Premier said, in 2023 to be going through that sexualised imagery … That misogynistic-type portrayal … Is just not on,” he said.
Carrol said the focus must be shifted on supporting women in leadership positions and urged the media to “read the room”.
“That’s what we should be focusing on – how do we support women going on to be successful leaders and how do we keep investing in them and giving everything we can to support them going forward. Not betraying them,” he said.
Victorian Labor MP Tim Richardson posted on X expressing his solidarity with Allan and criticising the cartoon.
“Dan Andrews served as Premier of Victoria for 3,217 days. Never had a creepy sexualised cartoon about him from anyone. Jacinta Allan has served as Premier for 28 days. Has had a bizarre and creepy sexualised cartoon about her from the Herald Sun. We all see what’s going on here!” he wrote.
Dan Andrews served as Premier of Victoria for 3,217 days.
— Tim Richardson MP (@TimRichardsonMP) October 23, 2023
Never had a creepy sexualised cartoon about him from anyone.
Jacinta Allan has served as Premier for 28 days.
Has had a bizarre and creepy sexualised cartoon about her from the Herald Sun.
We all see what’s going on here!
While many people on social media agreed the cartoon was a “sexualised” illustration of Allan, others said the cartoon was a take on the tale of The Emperor’s New Clothes.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the saying is used “to describe a situation in which most people praise or seem to believe something that is false or has no value, because they are afraid to go against the general opinion”.
Response from Mark Knight
Women’s Agenda received a statement from Mark Knight responding to the backlash against the cartoon.
My cartoon used the Hans Christian Anderson folktale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” as a political analogy to illustrate the Premier’s exposure to evidence coming out of the Commonwealth Games inquiry that conflicted with her version of events. It is Fashion Week in Melbourne so I wove the folktale into a fashion week catwalk scenario with the caption “The Commonwealth Games Cancellation Collection: The Premiers New Clothes.“
I did respect the Premiers modesty and pixelated parts of her in the drawing. You see more flesh in shampoo commercials. Rather than sexualising the Premier I was using an age old story to make a political comment. If Daniel Andrews was still Premier, I would have drawn him in the same situation.
I don’t see Ms Allan primarily as a woman, but as Premier. To draw her any differently than I would her male counterparts would be in my opinion sexist.
In the past I have drawn Daniel Andrews as the naked baby from the Nirvana rock band’s album cover, I rarely drew Tony Abbott in clothes except for his red budgie smugglers and I have a Walkley nomination for my depiction of Peter Dutton wearing only a loin cloth shaking a spear at a tall ship symbolising the Voice.