“If I were to stay quiet, I’m complicit.” Abbie Chatfield on why she chose to pose naked.

This week, The Bachelorette exposed a double standard.

It came on Thursday night, when Ciarran Scott was hailed as a confident and comedic larrikin when he posed naked in front of Angie Kent, Yvie Jones and the other contestants.

It was a bit of fun.

But then 2019 Bachelor runner-up Abbie Chatfield posed a simple question: “Can you imagine if I had done this?”

Ah, yes. That would not have gone down well.

Listen: Mamamia’s celebrity podcast The Spill discuss Abbie Chatfield calling out The Bachelorette’s double standards. Post continues after audio.

You see, Abbie Chatfield was vilified on Matt Agnew’s season of The Bachelor this year, merely for her sexual confidence.

Not only were the other women on the show seemingly offended by Abbie’s confidence, but even more so were the viewers.

Yes, the audience demonstrated their dogged disapproval of Abbie, critiquing her when she wore a bikini, for the way she kissed Matt on a beach, and for the clothes she wore.

So we can’t imagine viewers would have been too pleased if she had posed naked, with just grapes covering certain areas.  Nevertheless, they found it hilarious on Thursday night when Ciarran did so.

But Abbie doesn’t want us to imagine if she had done it. She wants us to see it, to prove it.

On Saturday afternoon, the 24-year-old property analyst from Queensland shared a photo of her “doing a Ciarran” with her 104,000 Instagram followers.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ABBIE CHATFIELD (@abbiechatfield) on Oct 18, 2019 at 9:01pm PDT

“Last week on The Bachelorette, fan fav Ciarran stripped down to nothing as part of a group date. In the same week, he admitted he used to dance in bars and has had a nose job,” Abbie pens. “This caused Australia (including me) to fall even further in love with him, admiring his confidence, sense of humour and cheeky behaviour.”

Abbie continues by saying that although she too thought it was a hilarious moment for Aussie TV, she couldn’t help but notice the double standard.

She writes:”When I wore a short skirt, I got messages saying that I was unworthy and unlovable for showing some skin. In contrast, Ciarran’s nudity made him a clear contender for Angie’s heart, his confidence being a quality that many women look for in a partner.”

“I can only IMAGINE the public outcry if I had done the same as Ciarran, and had uploaded a photo of me with nothing but grapes covering me. So let’s not imagine. Here’s me doing a Ciarran. Let’s see how this goes hey!”

Unsurprisingly, the post has drawn a lot of attention, with many praising the former Bachelor contestant for continuing to point out the undeniable double standards demonstrated.

Watch: Mamamia recap the top five moments from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette Australia. Post continues after video. 

Talking to Mamamia, Abbie explains why she was hesitant to post the photo.

“When I was standing in Woolies about to buy $18/kg grapes I thought… ‘am I going too far to just make a point?'”

“Once I had taken the photo I was worried about being naked on my Instagram and worried about how people would perceive me, because I still have my own internalised biases, but that made me realise I had to post, because if even I feel uncomfortable about it because of societal pressure, then I want to start a conversation about it.

“I’ve received a few messages already from people admitting that they would have thought differently if a woman had gotten naked on national TV and that they’re realising how crazy that is!”

She adds that she will continue to be point out double standards because she is a “vocal feminist” and believes “the more light we can shed on these issues the better.”

“There are so many double standards in society when it comes to gender, and I know we all experience them in big or small ways every day. For me, having this platform comes with some responsibility to be vocal on issues that I care about publicly. If I were to stay quiet I’m complicit in the double standard.”

As for how her audience has responded to the post, Abbie says the reaction has been “exceptionally positive”.

“There are always people who are negative of course, but I’ve had a lot of support and I’ve received a number of messages from people saying that I’ve made them reassess their views, and that’s all I can really ask for.”

She continues: “I guess a common theme to my Instagram is becoming me bringing to light issues that I’m passionate about, so this seemed like a good way to make people aware of any conscious or even subconscious double standard that they have.”

Clearly, Channel 10 and viewers alike have provided a clear example of how a man’s sexuality is viewed spectacularly differently to that of a woman’s. And Abbie won’t lie down and accept it. (Okay, maybe she’ll do the former).

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