Some Malaysians Don T See Utusan Malaysia Erred In Describing World Champ Ee Wei Tomboy

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AS Malay daily Utusan Malaysia drew flak from women’s rights and gender advocates for describing Toh Ee Wei as “tomboy” in its headlines, some Malaysians – strangely – regard the description as befitting the personality of the one half of the recently-crowned world badminton mixed doubles champions.

“That’s right, if you don’t want to be called a tomboy, style your hair and dress like a woman; even though it’s bitter to swallow, that’s the truth,” one commenter hit out at a Malaysiakini BM Facebook post on the Malay language daily having come under fire for its demeaning description of the 25-year-old Melaka lass.


In fact, Malaysiakini was given a shelling for “being racist” for nitpicking on the Malay daily and “dividing the rakyat”.

For context, SIS Forum executive director Rozana Isa rued that instead of celebrating Ee Wei as a world champion who overcame extraordinary challenges, the spotlight was on the latter not fitting a narrow idea of femininity.
“We must ask: If it were a man, would his victory be framed in terms of what he wore as a boy or whether he conformed to masculine stereotypes? Or would it simply highlight his talent, discipline and perseverance?” she told Malaysiakini.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz (left) with world mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie (middle) and Toh Ee Wei (Image credit: Tengku Zafrul/Facebook)

Following the backlash, Utusan Malaysia has amended its headline from Dari ‘Tomboy’ Jadi Ratu Dunia (“From ‘Tomboy’ to a Badminton Queen”) to Dari Gadis ‘Lasak’ Kini Toh Ee Wei Juara Dunia (From a ‘Rugged’ Girl Toh Ee Wei is Now World Champ”).
The ‘tomboy’ description could have stemmed from the Malay daily’s interview with Ee Wei’s parents who described the national shutter as often preferred the comfort of shorts and T-shirts instead of skirts when growing up.
“When a woman athlete wins on the world stage, the headline should celebrate her skill, discipline and perseverance,” berated Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Nazreen Nizam in a LinkedIn post.
Nazreen Nizam“Instead, what we saw from Utusan was a headline that reduced Toh Ee Wei’s victory to tired stereotypes of being a “tomboy” or “gadis lasak”.

Added the feminist: “This is not just lazy journalism – it’s harmful. It tells girls and women that no matter how hard they work, society will still judge them based on how they look, how they dress or whether they fit neatly into narrow boxes of “feminine” or being acceptable.”
Thankfully, there is a contrast in the mentality of Facebook commenters from the Malaysiakini English version:

… although there are always two sides to a coin.

- focus malaysia

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