Topless skier: Not during the Olympics. And Jackie Chamoun is the least of Lebanon’s problems
Posted on: February 15, 2014
Topless skier Jackie Chamoun: the least of Lebanon’s problems?
Name: Jackie Chamoun.
Age: 22.
Appearance: Cold.
Who is Jackie Chamoun? She’s a Lebanese Olympic skier.
Lebanon has a ski team? Lebanon is a mountainous country with many ski resorts and a history of skiing dating to 1913. But no, not really. They are just two of them.
So why’s she cold then? Does she not have the right gear?
Several photos have emerged showing Chamoun nearly naked in the snow, apart from mittens, goggles and ski poles.
I’m not familiar with that event. The pictures are from a 3-year-old calendar shoot, but they still caused consternation in Lebanon.
For fear that Jackie would catch her death? No.
The minister for sports and youth, Faisal Karami, ordered the country’s Olympic committee to investigate, and to “take the required steps so that Lebanon’s reputation is not harmed”.
An “I Am Not Naked” campaigner on Facebook. Photograph: Facebook
Their reputation for what? Dressing appropriately for the weather?
His criticism is a bit rich, especially in a country where most athletes have to sponsor themselves because the government’s sports budget is miniscule.
I expect there was some sort of backlash. There was.
The minister’s comment was labelled “backward” and “patriarchal”, and dozens of Lebanese people posted topless photos of themselves on Twitter in sympathy, using the hashtag #stripforJackie.
Literally dozens? Well, more than a dozen.
But many more were upset that the minister was seeking to stir up a scandal while the country’s very real problems went unaddressed. In light of a recent spate of bombings, the government was accused of focusing on “boobs not bombs”.
I follow you. But then others accused the campaigners of being frivolous and immodest. “#StripforJackie is just an excuse to get naked on social media,” tweeted one objector. “This is getting very disgusting!”
How does Chamoun feel about spearheading such a strange campaign? She’s not really part of it.
She immediately apologised for the leaked pictures on Facebook. “I know that Lebanon is a conservative country and this is not the image that reflects our culture,” she wrote.
Do say: “It’s all got a bit complicated. Why don’t we put the controversy behind us, and allow Jackie to concentrate on her skiing?”
Don’t say: “The secret is lots of layers.”
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