Pete Evans shouldn’t be mocked for the way he looks
Pete Evans is known for being controversial but the reaction to his haircut online reveals a gross reality that men face.
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OPINION
Pete Evans has debuted a mullet, and now his physical appearance is getting mercilessly mocked online, and the double standard is gross.
In the last few years, we’ve all had very loud conversations about why we should stop commenting on women’s appearances.
Has it worked?
No, but it has changed the culture.
There are still people online that make it their hobby to criticise women’s bodies and weight, but there’s been a more significant social change.
It is no longer cool or socially acceptable to casually discuss how a woman looks, which is progress.
When it comes to men, we still aren’t there yet, and the reaction to Pete’s mullet highlights the issue so brightly it could hurt your eyes to look at.
A simple haircut was enough for people to think it was acceptable to make fun of the way someone looks.
Pete is a controversial celebrity and the kind people like to discuss because he gives everyone lots of material to work with.
He traded in his glossy celebrity television chef career to preach about why people shouldn’t trust vaccines in Bryon Bay.
He behaves more like a rogue aunty on Facebook than a traditional celebrity.
If you make those kinds of choices, people will make fun of you — but that shouldn’t make people feel entitled to mock his looks.
What kind of message does this send?
Well, I can tell you!
It sends men a message that they are open slather to be mocked if they look like anything besides a cast member from Home And Away.
We saw a similar response with James Packer when he was snapped shirtless on a yacht in 2022.
There were hundreds of comments online where he was being cruelly fat-shamed, and I think people felt more entitled to do that because he was a man.
I’m not too concerned about either Pete or James; I think in the scheme of life, they are going to be fine.
When women get mocked for their appearance, it can become a career-ending problem, and often the way they look can dictate their success.
That isn’t the case with Pete or James. They are two rich, powerful white men, and they will thrive even if their looks don’t hit every beauty standard.
I am concerned with the message it sends to other men.
According to Better Health in Australia, studies have shown that the number of men experiencing body dissatisfaction in the last 25 years has soared from 15 to 45 per cent.
By mocking James or Pete’s appearance, we are telling other men that if you don’t fit into some stereotype of what hot is, you aren’t good enough and suddenly you are not just an ordinary bloke, you are a punchline.
Pete has had his wild views for years, but he always looked clean-cut while sprouting them, and therefore his looks weren’t a talking point.
Yet as soon as he cut his hair and debuted a more hippy look, suddenly, no one could shut up about how “bad” he looked.
It’s grim.
It’s telling non-famous men that there’s only one right way to look — if you don’t fit into that, not only are you not good enough, you’re an absolute joke.
I’m sorry, but I just don’t think there’s anything funny about sending that kind of dangerous message to men.
Originally published as Pete Evans shouldn’t be mocked for the way he looks
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