Society's outrage over a viral sex video exposes deep-seated misogyny and double standards.
“Like a compass always finds north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.”
Author Khaled Hosseini’s words echo painfully in the recent social media storm surrounding the couple filmed having sex on church premises.
Though both parties participated, public outrage has disproportionately targeted the woman – casting her as the symbol of shame and immorality.
The man, by contrast, has largely escaped vilification, exposing society’s enduring double standards.
This digital witch-hunt reveals how misogyny persists even in modern discourse, where a woman’s perceived transgression becomes a spectacle and her humanity is erased beneath waves of moral judgment.
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Worst of all, the woman social media decided fits the act, is the wrong woman. She now faces the burden of proving her innocence. Fake posts have circulated about her marriage, her mental health and even her death by suicide.
But if she wasn’t the woman in the video – who died? Does it even matter, when the real question is: why is the fury only directed at one, not both?
In defending women, we must confront the hypocrisy that defines society’s moral compass.
Many women engage in transactional relationships with men and are not victims, but willing participants. Yet when judgment comes, it’s the “baddies” and “slay queens” who are condemned, while men emerge unscathed.
This imbalance exposes a bias that excuses male desire while demonising female agency.
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If accountability is truly the goal, it must cut both ways. Otherwise, we must admit that men’s actions are simply easier to forgive – not because they’re better, but because they’re men.
Even in the little things, women feel violated. The vilifying of the woman while gently praising her male counterpart speaks volumes. It reflects a society always ready to send women to the gallery for mockery and to the gallows for their demise.
Women possess the same agency, desire and responsibility as men. If society insists on chastising moral choices, that chastisement must be fair and equal.
It cannot continue to shield men while vilifying women. Equality demands that consequences and compassion be shared – not dictated by outdated gender biases disguised as moral outrage.
Until then, the compass will keep pointing – always towards her. And justice will remain a performance, not a principle.
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