The Netherlands has the highest levels of sexual equality in the world. I’m constantly told this by shouty Dutch women, and who am I, the rather annoying, but always impeccably dressed foreigner to disagree? I want to believe this, I really do and yet there is some evidence that contradicts this…. for example only 28% of staff with a supervisory role in the Netherlands is female, and in spite of more women qualifying in higher education than men, the majority of women here work part time compared to their male counterparts. (Source: OECD) and then there is television, which brings me to the subject of today’s post.
Sexual equality and Veronica TV
Television, and what is allowed to go out on mainstream TV is often an accurate reflection of a nation’s culture or better said their norms and values. I’ve often been critical of RTL television for their incredibly dumb, but entertaining reality shows. However, having had the misfortune to watch Veronika TV yesterday, I now have to say that RTL are enlightened providers of quality entertainment when compared to Veronica TV. Why do I say this you might ask? The football world cup is on, while other tv stations are showing either live games or at least programmes about the tournament, Veronica has come up with the World Cup in lingerie.
Women are taken seriously on Dutch TV
Women are equal to men but not on Veronica TV
When the suffragettes first fought for women to be given the right to vote and succeeded in doing so here in the Netherlands in 1918, even in their worst nightmares, they couldn’t possibly have imagined that a century later a bunch of brain dead women, dumber than a bunch of One Direction fans and the viewers of premier league darts put together, would run around playing football on national television in lingerie.
Hollands next top domme meisjes
This “competition” was first shown on Veronica in 2006, and an incredible six million people watched the show. It’s incredibly complex. Eight football teams representing various countries, made up of stupid women in lingerie playing football. Yes folks that’s all it is. A group of airheads taking penalties in their underwear. It’s incredible that this goes out on prime time tv. Even more amazing is that as it’s on commercial TV, there are plenty of mainstream organisations who are happy to have their adverts shown during this show. Many companies that claim to be equal opportunity employers are throwing their alleged principles out of the window and advertise on this trashy tv show.
Is the year 1974? If you understand Dutch, watch the youtube video above and listen to some of the commentary. Lot’s of remarks about tasty arses, etc. I half expect Mrs Slocombe from Are You Being Served to come on and start making comments about her pussy.
Perhaps the Shallow Man is missing the point of this show and I should probably lighten up, as I’m sure Veronica TV would say that’s it’s only a bit of fun, which might be true, but in my humble opinion, this show reinforces all of the worst stereotypes about women.
No women, free of brains and a bit of female pride, were hurt during the writing of this post.
haha! Really good article. Agree with your views on this Topic. As an expat living here for over a year, I too kept on hearing about “equality” here. But when I see the %of women who work Part time, and shows like this on Main Stream TV, makes me wonder..