'Oh, cover up,' is a frustrating phrase that many women know all too well. So, imagine my surprise (not) that after Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu's Dancing on Ice performance, the internet erupted with comments of that very nature - many from other women.
Last night, Love Island winner Ekin-Su took to the ice for her first performance, skating to Britney Spears' Toxic. Within the routine, she also did a hilarious ode to her iconic Love Island terrace crawl on skates. However, some viewers didn't see the light-hearted fun within this routine and have bashed her.
Some Dancing on Ice viewers took to Twitter to voice their distain and horror mostly over her 'skimpy outfit' and 'sexy crawling all over the ice.' Most of the comments had nothing to do with her skating, which is the very thing that the show is based on.
Slut-shaming is the act of determining the worth of a woman based on her sexual desires, relationships and conduct, with the aim to humiliate her. It can be overt like calling someone a nasty name or subtle, like raising your eyebrow to the number of sexual partners someone has had. This way of thinking is outdated, misogynistic and controlling. After seeing viewers reactions on Twitter, Ekin-Su is clearly a victim of it.
First of all, women can wear what we want but for those stating that Dancing on Ice is a family show, there wasn't any indecent exposure. Ekin-Su was covered in a full flesh bodysuit which performers and skaters alike have worn countless times before; from Madonna to JLo, this isn't new. Dancing on Ice is also an entertainment show and performance plays a big part too - and she definitely performed! The politics of women’s clothing have a long and complicated history, but an overarching trend is always the way they are used to control and vilify women for their choices.
While there were a mixture of people joining in, to see these comments also come from women is even more disappointing. As women, we know just how much these comments can be internalised and can go on to affect our self worth and mental health. What moves us to bring down our own kind? Does it stem from genuine dislike or is it just how we have been conditioned by the patriarchal setup of society?
Let's also remember, Ekin-Su was skating to Britney Spears' Toxic and it was clearly a costuming choice to match Britney's music video outfits. The costuming decision and her confident personality throughout the routine fit the essence of the song. If the nature of her performance was too much for ITV's target audience, production would have never chosen a song like Toxic to begin with. It's one thing to critique a celeb's skating skills (this is what the show is all about), but to get so personal and nasty is really uncalled-for.
There is also a worrying trend I've noticed during these entertainment competition shows in the UK. When a confident woman takes centre stage, some of the British public tend to have a real issue with it. After Ekin-Su's performance many wrote that she is 'in love with herself,' and 'overly confident.' During Strictly Come Dancing, we also saw the same kind of backlash towards confident women like Fleur East, and now we're seeing it again with Ekin-Su. It's 2023, isn't self love all we preach about now? What is it about a confident woman that truly shakes some people to the core? If anything, we're in love with her confidence. To get out there and skate in front of a live audience must be nerve wracking.
However, it's not all negative as we're not the only ones supporting her, Ekin's boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti also praised her performance on Good Morning Britain. He said, 'I believe that she smashed it. I was not surprised that she can skate as I've been following her training journey but I'm proud that she played the character and did a very good performance. He added: 'The fact that now she's in the skate-off... she's a bit sad. But she's a strong woman, very determined and knows what she wants. I think this will only push her to be better and better week by week.'
While Ekin-Su hasn't spoken out about the backlash, she did repost a telling statement on her Instagram stories. It reads, 'Gals today we are channelling Ekin-Su energy. No matter what is against us we will power through and continue to be the iconic goddesses we are.' It looks like Ekin-Su's choosing to rise above the hate - good for her!
READ MORE: Love Island’s Davide Reveals How He Really Feels About Ekin-Su Appearing On Dancing On Ice
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