Nine’s popular show Married at First Sight has come under fire in the last week for the casting of groom, Tyson Gordon.
Now, even Tanya Pilbersek, Minister for Social Services and member for Sydney, has felt compelled to speak out.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pilbersek posted a video about the appearance of Gordon on the show. She is seen watching a clip on her phone of him being challenged by podcaster and television host Laura Byrne about his attitude to women.
“Seriously, this guys,” she says at the end of the clip. “This is exactly the sort of controlling behaviour that we’re trying to combat when we talk about getting rid of coercive control.
“The fact that this is being mainstreamed on a really popular show is really disappointing.
“I really do think the makers of this show need to think twice before platforming this sort of misogyny.”
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‘Coercive control is given a national platform’
Pilbersek added a strong statement in the caption of the post, which has almost 17,500 likes in just 14 hours.
“When men who idolise ‘submissive’ and ‘obedient’ women are normalised on prime-time TV, it means coercive control is given a national platform,” she wrote.
“That’s not entertaining, it’s incredibly dangerous. This is the exact kind of cultural messaging we’re trying to change.
“Messaging which encourages control and dehumanises women, which is supercharged by algorithms peddling misogyny for profit.
“We’re doing our bit as a government – we’ve delayed kids’ access to social media for this very reason, and we’re investing in education programs that promote healthy and equal relationships.”
Pilbersek concluded with the plea, “Please don’t expose your kids to this stuff.”
She finally added, “Let’s continue to call out this behaviour for what it is – the harmful need to exert control over women dressed up as a normal part of a relationship.”
Backlash against Tyson Gordon on MAFS
Tyson Gordon was introduced as an ‘intruder’ groom last week, and audiences have not responded well to his inclusion on the hugely popular show.
Gordon, a 30-year-old former soldier, was matched with 32-year-old real estate agent Stephanie Marshall, who has sparked outrage over his comments about wanting a “submissive” wife, disliking “woke” women and calling stay-at-home dads “feminine.”
On social media, the new groom has been criticised for comments about a woman’s “body count” – referring to the number of sexual partners. He told Marshall on the show that he ended a previous relationship when he learned the woman had had 78 sexual partners, because he “didn’t want to get HIV”.
In a confessional, Gordon added that he wanted a wife with “zero” former partners, describing women with higher “body counts” as “dirty” and with “daddy issues”.
He also told Marshall, “I don’t want a slave for a wife. I want someone who is submissive.”
On social media, viewers said it was “irresponsible” of Nine to broadcast Gordon’s comments without them being challenged more strongly, for fear of them being normalised.
“This is not okay and is not good for young people who watch these clips on social media. It is damaging, and producers should be ashamed,” read one comment.
Another wrote, “He’s prob one of the worst males on MAFS… but there are a lot of men like this… poor Stephanie,” with someone else adding, “This guy is dangerous.”
Finally, this viewer was shocked: “How could the ‘experts’ give someone with these morals a go on this platform ???? Shame shame.”
Former bride Jacqui Burfoot, who appeared on last year’s season, has also commented: “MAFS fans saying producers may have finally gone too far casting Tyson.
“Meanwhile us brides have been calling them out for marrying us to grooms with a history of domestic violence and a criminal record, for many years now.”
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Top image: Tanya Pilbersek speaks out about ‘MAFS’. Image: Instagram