Abbie Chatfield Is Fired Up Over A Truly Cooked ‘Misogynistic’ Question
Abbie Chatfield’s new role as the FBoy Island host has kicked off a pretty cooked discussion. The dating show is refreshing, quirky and knows how to make fun of itself, and the former Bachelor star is perfectly cast.
She’s been busy doing press to help promote the Binge show, but there’s one question that has been asked too many times. And IMO, being asked this “misogynistic question” even once is too much.
In a Twitter thread, she called out journalists for asking her if she’d been “tempted” to have sex with any of the FBoy Island contestants.
“I can’t believe I even have to do this, but it keeps coming up,” she wrote. “That question is, ‘Were you keen on/did you want to fuck any of the contestants?’, ‘Were you tempted?’, ‘Did you use the show as your own way to meet guys?’”
“The answer, clearly, is ‘No’. As the host of a reality TV format, I would presume that is obvious. It is my job to host the show. No part of me enters that arena expecting a romantic connection.”
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Abbie went on to explain that she was on the island to work, and used her past experience as a reality TV contestant to help guide and support the talent.
“To be clear: I am not ‘resisting’ a feeling, it does not exist. I am the host and I hold myself to [a] level of professionalism that, IMO, is very basic: Don’t try to/want to fuck contestants??,” she added. “There is a power imbalance between myself and the contestants which I would never breach or take advantage of.”
“Not only is the notion of this highly inappropriate, it’s offensive to my level of professionalism and dedication to my role … I’m a young woman who speaks openly about sex. That doesn’t mean I’m some sort of fiend always on the lookout for my next fuck, regardless of where it comes from.”
She went on to say that this question makes her “incredibly uncomfortable”, and it’s tricky to answer without going into a long spiel about the misogynistic undertones.
“So, I’m making it clear now. I was not, and will never be so unprofessional to have even an iota of a thought that contestants on a dating show are anything close to a romantic interest. Please. Stop. Asking.”
Abbie was bombarded by support from other celebs, with MasterChef judge Melissa Leong saying: “It’s ridiculous that you have to spell it out like that. Being open and articulate about sexuality and being a professional are two separate concepts, end of conversation.”
Married at First Sight expert Mel Schilling also admitted she’s experienced something similar. “Bravo Abbie. I’ve been asked this absurd question before too and your response here is perfect. We are professionals who happen to work in the ‘dating industry’ which doesn’t mean we participate in the dating,” she said.
According to Abbie, Osher Günsberg was asked a similar question when he started hosting The Bachelor in 2013. Guys, its been 10 years, and these lazy tired questions are still being asked? Let’s take a leaf out of Abbie’s book and leave this problematic mindset in the past.
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Image credits: Binge, FBoy Island, Instagram/@abbiechatfield