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In its May 23 issue, the frontpage of the Philippine Daily Inquirer featured a photo of Ma. Fatima Diago “Tim” Alsowyed, the winner of the 2015 Miss Bikini Philippines contest that was recently held at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.
The Inquirer’s frontpage photo choice has been slammed by Senator Pia Cayetano, as well as the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).
Cayetano issued a statement about the Inquirer’s so-called “bikini frontpage” and it was posted on the Facebook page of the Senate’s Public Relations and Information Bureau (PRIB). We’re reposting the full text of her statement below:
I was shocked and dismayed to see the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) front page prominently displaying a photo of a woman in a bikini that is clearly meant to be provocative.
I join the Philippine Commission on Women and other women’s advocates in expressing my strong sentiments against this portrayal of a woman. There are many ways to show off a woman’s body in terms of fitness, health and beauty, but to use a photo in a manner that is sexual in orientation, is a degradation and commodification of women.
Just last May 11, PDI claimed that it is the top choice of 52.7% of [class] ABC newspaper readers. With such high readership, it has the responsibility to uphold the highest standards of journalism, including gender sensitivity. As a major daily, PDI has, over the years been a strong supporter of women’s issues. I trust the PDI editors will rectify this error.
For its part, the PCW had also stated, “The front page contained a photo of the winner of the Ms Bikini pageant in a provocative pose. PCW is alarmed and aghast with the sexist and sexual portrayal of the young woman in the reputable broadsheet.”
PCW executive director Emmeline Verzosa pointed out, “The angle and the pose of the woman in the photo depict commodification of women’s bodies. While we advocate the importance of being fit, living an active lifestyle and staying healthy, we believe that there are other ways to depict a woman’s healthy and fit body other than a photo that portrays her in a sexualized manner. That the broadsheet blurred the image of her hand on her private part drew more attention and curiosity to the photo. PCW regrets to ask this question: does the Philippine Daily Inquirer need to do this to increase sales? That is selling women’s bodies. Women’s dignity and bodily integrity should be upheld and presenting them as sexual objects violates the Magna Carta of Women.”
We await the Inquirer‘s response to Cayetano and the PCW’s complaint.
Photo: Senate and PDI
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