CHIN bikini contest falls victim to P.C. police
SABRINA MADDEAUX, Special to Postmedia
First posted: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 07:17 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 07:27 PM EDT
A male feminist once derided me for using the term “tits” in an article. Apparently, these days, a woman isn’t even allowed to refer to her own body parts.
And God forbid you mention a powerful woman’s fashion choices in print. In our quest to excise the world of sexism, we’ve become overbearingly, tediously and outrageously politically correct.
Rather than risk offending anyone, we instead choose to cloak ourselves in bubble wrap and stick our heads in the sand like nervous ostriches. Just about everything now comes with a “trigger warning” — a term so overused it’s now essentially meaningless. Censorship is the new norm.
This is all a bit ironic in our quest for sexual, gender and racial freedom, no?
While political correctness rears its eye-roll-worthy head everywhere, it’s particularly bad in Canada.
It’s our nation’s nature to apologize even when there’s nothing to apologize for. We decided collectively long ago that the right to free speech should take a backseat to the possibility of hurting someone’s feelings. Yes, you can actually go to jail for saying something offensive enough in public.
But forget the absurdity of our hate speech laws: Now we’ve moved on to banning bikini contests. The CHIN picnic’s beloved annual bikini contest — a 40-year-old tradition — was cancelled this year.
In an emailed statement, president Lenny Lombardi chalked the cancellation up to putting the focus on diversity: “CHIN Radio’s mandate has always been to promote multiculturalism in Canada, and after 49 years of hosting the bikini contest, they have decided to say goodbye and focus on their roots.”
While that may be partly true, a not-so-small part of me suspects CHIN is actually scared of the PC police. They folded in the face of potential controversy.
The thing is CHIN’s bikini contest isn’t sexist: It contains both male and female categories and isn’t overly sexualized. While there’s some bare skin involved, it’s all in good fun and acts as a draw for a festival that some might not otherwise think to attend.
If you don’t like bikinis or find them weirdly offensive, guess what? You don’t have to watch or participate. The entire event doesn’t have to be shut down to appease a few naysayers.
The men and women who participate in these contests always seem to have a blast. Who are we to tell them what they can and can’t do with their bodies or judge their reasons for competing?
We have much larger things to worry about than guys and girls strutting around in themed swimwear. Let’s stop wasting our energy fighting nonsensical small battles and focus on what really matters.
twitter.com/sabrinamaddeaux
CHIN bikini contest falls victim to P.C. police | Guest Column | Toronto & GTA |
Contestant - and winner - Deanna Graci Cirincione in the Mr. and Miss CHIN Bikini contest at Revival Lounge on College St. June 19, 2015. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun)
CHIN bikini contest falls victim to P.C. police | Guest Column | Toronto & GTA |
'Times have changed': CHIN axes bikini pageant
By Aaron D'Andrea, Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 03:56 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 09:21 PM EDT
TORONTO - Say goodbye to Mr. and Miss CHIN Bikini.
The organization has decided to do away with one of its main events at the 50th annual CHIN Picnic.
The reason? CHIN wants to fall back on its origins.
“CHIN Radio’s mandate has always been to promote multiculturalism in Canada, and after 49 years of hosting the bikini contest, they have decided to say goodbye and focus on their roots,” president Lenny Lombardi said in a statement to the Toronto Sun.
The free event began in 1966, but the bikini contest wasn’t added until 1978. The popular attraction started as a separate event in 1976 and 1977 and was held on the now-defunct Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant.
The picnic later added the annual Mr. CHIN bikini contest in response to allegations of sexism. But now, Lombardi does not want the spectacle getting in the way of the event’s main message.
“The picnic represents the work we do each and every day on radio. The picnic is a snapshot of our efforts to spread the importance of multiculturalism and all its benefits, and in our 50th year it is important to us that this message is clear,” he said.
“Our true message is that of celebrating our cultural diversity and that point is best enhanced by focusing on what we do best: Celebrating cultural diversity through information, music and entertainment, and not distract from that message with a bikini pageant.”
In the past, the bikini contest has seen contestants from various diversities, but Lombardi says it’s time to move forward.
“Times have changed and as much fun as we had, and support we received producing it each year, we believe that our focus today should be clearly directed to the reality of our mandate of multiculturalism and cultural diversity,” he said.
The CHIN Picnic runs June 17-19 with a main stage in the heart of Little Italy at College and Markham Sts.
CHIN Bikini contestants pose with Lenny Lombardi at the Liberty Grand in Toronto in 2009. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
'Times have changed': CHIN axes bikini pageant | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto
SABRINA MADDEAUX, Special to Postmedia
First posted: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 07:17 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 07:27 PM EDT
A male feminist once derided me for using the term “tits” in an article. Apparently, these days, a woman isn’t even allowed to refer to her own body parts.
And God forbid you mention a powerful woman’s fashion choices in print. In our quest to excise the world of sexism, we’ve become overbearingly, tediously and outrageously politically correct.
Rather than risk offending anyone, we instead choose to cloak ourselves in bubble wrap and stick our heads in the sand like nervous ostriches. Just about everything now comes with a “trigger warning” — a term so overused it’s now essentially meaningless. Censorship is the new norm.
This is all a bit ironic in our quest for sexual, gender and racial freedom, no?
While political correctness rears its eye-roll-worthy head everywhere, it’s particularly bad in Canada.
It’s our nation’s nature to apologize even when there’s nothing to apologize for. We decided collectively long ago that the right to free speech should take a backseat to the possibility of hurting someone’s feelings. Yes, you can actually go to jail for saying something offensive enough in public.
But forget the absurdity of our hate speech laws: Now we’ve moved on to banning bikini contests. The CHIN picnic’s beloved annual bikini contest — a 40-year-old tradition — was cancelled this year.
In an emailed statement, president Lenny Lombardi chalked the cancellation up to putting the focus on diversity: “CHIN Radio’s mandate has always been to promote multiculturalism in Canada, and after 49 years of hosting the bikini contest, they have decided to say goodbye and focus on their roots.”
While that may be partly true, a not-so-small part of me suspects CHIN is actually scared of the PC police. They folded in the face of potential controversy.
The thing is CHIN’s bikini contest isn’t sexist: It contains both male and female categories and isn’t overly sexualized. While there’s some bare skin involved, it’s all in good fun and acts as a draw for a festival that some might not otherwise think to attend.
If you don’t like bikinis or find them weirdly offensive, guess what? You don’t have to watch or participate. The entire event doesn’t have to be shut down to appease a few naysayers.
The men and women who participate in these contests always seem to have a blast. Who are we to tell them what they can and can’t do with their bodies or judge their reasons for competing?
We have much larger things to worry about than guys and girls strutting around in themed swimwear. Let’s stop wasting our energy fighting nonsensical small battles and focus on what really matters.
twitter.com/sabrinamaddeaux
CHIN bikini contest falls victim to P.C. police | Guest Column | Toronto & GTA |
Contestant - and winner - Deanna Graci Cirincione in the Mr. and Miss CHIN Bikini contest at Revival Lounge on College St. June 19, 2015. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun)
CHIN bikini contest falls victim to P.C. police | Guest Column | Toronto & GTA |
'Times have changed': CHIN axes bikini pageant
By Aaron D'Andrea, Toronto Sun
First posted: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 03:56 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 09:21 PM EDT
TORONTO - Say goodbye to Mr. and Miss CHIN Bikini.
The organization has decided to do away with one of its main events at the 50th annual CHIN Picnic.
The reason? CHIN wants to fall back on its origins.
“CHIN Radio’s mandate has always been to promote multiculturalism in Canada, and after 49 years of hosting the bikini contest, they have decided to say goodbye and focus on their roots,” president Lenny Lombardi said in a statement to the Toronto Sun.
The free event began in 1966, but the bikini contest wasn’t added until 1978. The popular attraction started as a separate event in 1976 and 1977 and was held on the now-defunct Captain John’s Harbour Boat Restaurant.
The picnic later added the annual Mr. CHIN bikini contest in response to allegations of sexism. But now, Lombardi does not want the spectacle getting in the way of the event’s main message.
“The picnic represents the work we do each and every day on radio. The picnic is a snapshot of our efforts to spread the importance of multiculturalism and all its benefits, and in our 50th year it is important to us that this message is clear,” he said.
“Our true message is that of celebrating our cultural diversity and that point is best enhanced by focusing on what we do best: Celebrating cultural diversity through information, music and entertainment, and not distract from that message with a bikini pageant.”
In the past, the bikini contest has seen contestants from various diversities, but Lombardi says it’s time to move forward.
“Times have changed and as much fun as we had, and support we received producing it each year, we believe that our focus today should be clearly directed to the reality of our mandate of multiculturalism and cultural diversity,” he said.
The CHIN Picnic runs June 17-19 with a main stage in the heart of Little Italy at College and Markham Sts.
CHIN Bikini contestants pose with Lenny Lombardi at the Liberty Grand in Toronto in 2009. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun)
'Times have changed': CHIN axes bikini pageant | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto