A local newspaper reported on the ‘Australian of the Year’ award, given to an exceptional person who then spends the next year spreading their message or work.

Taryn Brumfitt, the 2023 recipient’s words were included in the paper on Australia Day, Jan. 26, ‘There is so much despair in this nation for children and adults when it comes to what we think and how we feel about our bodies.”

The message here is to value yourself and others independent of how they look and to not comment on people’s bodies, and yet the very next day, in the same paper we see “TAKE that for a revenge body. Fashionista Pip Edwards has shown ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke just what he is missing out on” with a photo of the woman in a bikini. The reference is to a retired sportsperson who had a public argument with his then girlfriend about a previous girlfriend.

So why is it so difficult to stop these messages of comparison and, in this case, sexism? It appears that these attitudes are embedded in society, and equality will take a long time to achieve.

The example is from Australia, but the problem is worldwide. We all need to make efforts to ensure that we are all equal despite the variations in all of our different ways, beliefs and appearances. Listen when good people talk.

Dennis Fitzgerald,
Melbourne, Australia