A Woman’s Scowl Gets More Pushback than Sexual Abuse
Australia’s Grace Tame and the politics of a smile
Now this story is old, it’s from early 2022 but the point is still relevant and I think an interesting one.
Those of you not from Australia probably haven’t heard of Grace Tame and are missing out. Australian of the Year in 2021, Grace Tame, a survivor of child sexual abuse, has been extremely vocal, effective, and insightful in her activism and critique of the then government. Tame was extremely critical of the government and the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, in particular about his handling of sexual assault allegations in parliament amongst other issues.
Outrage wasn’t ignited about the injustice of Nicolaas Ockert Bester being interviewed by a journalist and talking with pride about what he had done to a 15-year-old Grace.
Instead, outrage caught fire when Grace Tame refused to smile when she was required to pose for a photo opportunity with the then Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
Opinions were split on this. Tame was accused of being ‘childish’, ‘rude’ and ‘churlish’. Others said that she had integrity and rejected the politics of civility for mere appearances.
