Courtney Thorpe calls out sexism on social media: urges men to ‘do better’ following ex Jarrod Wallace backlash

Former Miss World Australia Courtney Thorpe has taken a bold stand against sexism on Instagram, following her ex-husband, Dolphins player Jarrod Wallace’s online backlash for a sexist comment.

In a bold call-out via social media, former Miss World Australia turned podcaster Courtney Thorpe addressed the ongoing issue of sexism and urged men to “do better.”

It comes on the heels of an online backlash against her ex-husband and Dolphins player Jarrod Wallace, who was at the receiving end of accusations of sexism following a comment he made about his new fiancee, Shannon Wells.

The original post said, “You look real good cooking our little boy, but even better when you’re washing my clothes.”

The comment, deemed sexist, was part of an ongoing joke between the couple, according to the NRL star.

Addressing her 89,000 Instagram followers, Thorpe shared an anecdote related to sexism, illustrating the problem’s entrenched nature in society.

The mother-of-one harked back to a past incident involving a friend who had made a sexist remark in a Facebook group. Despite the comments igniting offence among the group’s female members, the man defended himself, arguing that having a daughter absolved him from any accusations of sexism.

Thorpe contested this excuse, pointing out his history of blatantly sexist behaviour.

“He justified it by saying it couldn’t have been sexist, because he had a daughter as though any thing that he says could never be taken as sexist or inappropriate towards women, because he had a daughter. – and that just didn’t hit right with me,” she said.

Through this story, Thorpe aimed to highlight the larger, systemic issue of sexism, which still prevails in today’s society, highlighting the persistent existence of its subtler forms, such as jokes and flippant comments, that have become an accepted part of everyday life.

“I think the really big issue here aside from the glaringly obvious sexist things that we have to deal with, is the undertones that still very much exist,” she said.

“Those sorts of things that are ingrained in day to day life and accepted or excused and justified is what the real problem is.”

Courtney Thorpe

Another concern, according to Thorpe, is the reluctance of men to learn and accept when their words are viewed as sexist, insisting on the need for willingness to learn and listen.

“People are only going to learn if they’re called out but people need to be willing to learn. People need to be willing to listen,” she said.

“We’re in 2023 Here, people, this doesn’t fly anymore. You need to be better.”

“In 2023, this doesn’t fly anymore. You need to be better.”

Dolphins player Jarrod Wallace posted a photo of himself and fiancee Shani Wells to instagram on Sunday evening.

After apologising, Wallace vowed to provide better context for his posts in the future, not wanting to be seen as sexist or promoting sexism, affirming his respect for his fiancee and commitment to their family.

“It was not my intention … I am a proud dad and stepdad to four beautiful little girls and the most empowering of my beautiful fiancee,” he wrote.

“My fiancee is the heart of our home and goes above for me and the girls, I love and respect her more than you can imagine.”

Despite the couple’s clarification that the caption was a joke, Wallace told 90.9 Sea FM he started receiving death threats.
“I think it was absolutely disgraceful that way it was taken,” he told 90.9 Sea FM’s Bianca, Ben and Lakey on Wednesday.
“It’s gone way too far, and that’s the worst part, me and my wife were sitting next to me on the bed when I wrote it, and we were both laughing.
“And five minutes later I was getting death threats, and it’s gone way too far to now be bringing my unborn child and my kids into it, that’s not on.
“It’s in the right hands now of the Southport police station… they (the offenders) will be held accountable.”