OPINION: Finland’s PM party scandal
Sanna Marin, Finland’s Prime Minister, received a barrage of criticism when videos of her dancing (allegedly intoxicated) at a private party in Helsinki were leaked on the internet last month.
Marin, who became the youngest head of state at 34 when she was elected in 2019, came under attack from opposition party members and the press for her purported bibulous antics. There were even accusations of drug use after a fellow partygoer had posted a picture captioned “flour gang” - which was believed to be a reference to cocaine.
Following the leak, Finnish Centre Party and opposition leader Mikko Karna immediately took to Twitter to urge the PM to take a drug test to prove her innocence, he said: “For the sake of public discussion, it would be wise for Prime Minister Sanna Marin to submit to a drug test, the results of which would be published by an independent body." Marin vehemently denied taking any illicit drugs, she said: “I did nothing illegal. Even in my teenage years, I have not used any kind of drugs.”
Marin would ultimately take a voluntary drug test, which would prove to be negative and discredit such unsubstantiated claims. Yet, many still felt aggrieved by the PM’s actions; with some political analysts believing that it may diminish her chances of re-election and tarnish her reputation irrevocably.
Such furore caused by footage of a young woman, who happened to be an elected official, dancing and having fun with her friends whilst off-duty wreaks of misogyny. Prominent male politicians, who have had similar footage leaked, have not only emerged unscathed, but rather their antics have been viewed with jocular merriment. Boris Johnson dancing at a wedding, in re-emerged footage in the thick of the partygate scandal, and Michael Gove raving solo in an Aberdeen nightclub have become internet meme fodder. Neither suffered significant repercussions nor were they asked to take a drug test – despite Gove’s best Bez impersonation.
The level of criticism received by Marin, for comparable actions, highlights the excessive scrutiny that women in the public eye face. Furthermore, such scrutiny is not solely consigned to their perceived behaviour but also to their appearance. The Daily Mail, in their now infamous ‘Legs-it’ front page, reduced a vital meeting of Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May to a comparison of limbs. One could hardly imagine Donald Trump and Boris Johnson having their ample man-boobs compared on the front cover of a national newspaper – though they do say there is a niche for everyone.
Following the backlash, Marin has been flooded with support from leading female public figures such as Hillary Clinton who encouraged her to “keep on dancing” and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who posted a video of doing just that in solidarity. They, like many women around the world, see it for what it is: hypocrisy.
Patriarchal society has long been unnerved by women of defiance – particularly if they are conventionally attractive - and sought to control them through slander and detraction. Perhaps it is time for the boys to take a look in the mirror. One suspects they may struggle to live up to the lofty standards that they impose on women.