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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Australian TV show gets 'derailed' by 'gross' sex debate - as viewers slam the controversial comments made about women on the shock series
SBS program The Feed has been slammed by viewers after it was 'derailed' by a 'gross' debate about how many sexual partners a woman should have. The episode, titled Men Debate Masculinity, saw six men weigh in on issues surrounding gender roles, domestic violence, and the male identity. But it quickly devolved within minutes when they were asked if 'having lots of sexual partners is tied to your status as a man'—leaving some viewers disgusted. While most agreed men didn't need many sexual partners to be masculine, some of the panellists were quick to bring up their views on the 'body count' of women. Clayton Harrop, a self-proclaimed hypnotherapist and performance coach, said he believed a woman with a 'high body count' had a 'chink in the armour'. 'I don't like the idea of a super high body count in women if I am completely honest,' he said. 'I personally believe that the lower a woman's body count, the better for her, and her future partner,' he continued. Clayton went on to boast he had 'slept with my share of women' and insisted he doesn't 'look at a woman any less because of it'. However, he confessed he wouldn't want '20 other men to be able to say, "Yeah I have been with her bro."' 'It's a chink in the armour that directly affects every other area of our life,' he said. Dean Wells, who got his controversial start on Married At First Sight in 2018 and is now engaged to Beauty and the Geek star Aimee Woolley, agreed and added he found women who had many sexual partners 'unattractive'. 'I am not going to try and break it down on an intellectual level, but I just find a chick that has been with way too many guys, unattractive,' he said. The episode was around 43 minutes long and saw a myriad other controversial debates between the men. Clayton, Dean and Chris Katelaris represented the conservative side of the panel, known for their inflammatory online posts about gender-related issues. Meanwhile, well-known advocates Tarang Chawla, Mitch Wallis and Jeff Kissubi represented the opposing progressive side of the debate. The episode has garnered significant backlash online, with many slamming SBS for platforming controversial views for 'rage bait'. Women's safety advocate Mia Findlay shared a video that called out the network for failing to host a productive conversation about men's violence and misogyny. 'What was this episode intending to achieve, other than virality, clicks and rage bait?' she asked on Instagram. 'It just underscores the continued lack of seriousness in having informed, effective conversations about men's violence and misogyny in this country.' Other viewers online agreed with her sentiment, with one person writing: 'The rage bait worked. We, women, as the collective, are enraged.' 'These men are so old to be talking about body count. I thought this was high school talk,' said another. 'Men still talking about "body count" as if that matters. It's so gross,' someone else added. 'Knowing that more people will see this type of red pill... regurgitated rhetoric, and believe it to be true. Makes me retract from the world even more,' commented one. 'I saw some of this clip first thing in the morning and it made me feel awful. Stop platforming these men and their... backwards ideas towards women. Do better @thefeedsbs,' yet another said. Tarang, one of the panellists, has since come out to say the debate was often 'derailed' with controversial remarks. 'The space of online coaches, podcasters and men's health advocates has an underbelly that often blames women or says controversial things for clout,' he told on Thursday. 'I didn't go on the panel to debate for entertainment. I went to discuss the realities of masculinity and because my sister, Nikita, was murdered by her partner, and too many men still don't take that seriously. 'If even one man who watched starts to question the culture we've built, then it was worth it for me to be there despite the personal cost.' Tarang became an anti-violence campaigner after his sister Nikita, 23, was horrifically murdered by her husband in a jealous rage in 2015. SBS has since released an official statement addressing the backlash the company has received on the episode. 'Like all our content, The Feed Debate is subject to the SBS Code of Practice, which states that SBS will share a diversity of views and perspectives, and requires our news and current affairs programs to provide balanced and impartial coverage,' the statement said. 'The six panellists who appeared in The Feed's 'Masculinity' debate were informed in advance that the program would be fact-checked and edited to fit The Feed's debate format, and were also told there would be a diverse range of views represented. 'We appreciate the participation of all the panellists who were willing to share their perspectives.'
SBS Australia
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Clayton wants a 'pure' woman to marry. He cares about 'body count'
The Feed's full debate on Masculinity can be streamed on YouTube. Clayton Harrop believes it's inherently manly to pursue — to chase, to improve, to gain experience. That drive, he says, once shaped his sex life too. But he also believes in purity. Not his own, though, but for his future wife. "I don't like the idea of a super high body count in women if I'm completely honest," Clayton, 29, told The Feed on a discussion panel about modern masculinity. "Yeah, that bothers me ... I want to be her first." Clayton admits it sounds 'hypocritical' because he's had "his share of women" but says sex is sacred — the "most intimate thing in the world" —and should be treated with reverence. A reverence, it seems, that flows one way. He doesn't regret his past partners and acknowledges the double standard, but doesn't walk it back. His sexual experience, he insists, made him better. "You're better at sex. You can better sleep with your partner and give more to her." It's a view that experts warn is often harmful to women - and also men. Street interviews won't stop asking about 'body count' Clayton isn't alone in his worldview. The idea of "body count", how many people someone has slept with, has become a go-to topic online. It's not a new obsession, but it's found a revival in street interviews, dating podcasts and social media debates. In them, a certain script often plays out: men "level up" through experience. Women, not so much. Too many and she's "easy" or "less desirable". Too few, she's a prude. Too much sex from anyone, and they're labelled not "relationship material." None, and there's something wrong with them. "I don't want 20 other men able to say: 'Yeah, I've been with her, bro,'" Clayton says. Despite the different expectations, he says it's not about judging women, but about what their sexual choices represent to him — values, restraint, "femininity". But it's misogyny, says Lauren Rosewarne, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences who researches gender, sexuality and feminism. "I have incredible concerns with women's value being connected to both their perceived 'f---ability' — the extent to which men want to have sex with her — as well as her worth being tied to how much sex she's had," she says. She sees it as a tool for policing women's behaviour, while allowing men to write the rules and excuse their own choices. To her, it reinforces a system where women are judged and men are given leeway under the guise of "preference" or principles. Jeff, a social advocate who has dated both men and women, sees the body count narrative as just another way to police women's behaviour. Men's coach Clayton Harrop (left), anti-violence advocate Tarang Chawla and social advocate and commentator Jeff Kissubi on The Feed's Masculinity debate. "I wouldn't care at all," he says. "If someone shares that with me, fine. If they don't, I still wouldn't care because I wouldn't base a relationship on how many people they've slept with. That mindset is odd to me. I think it stems from power and control." Pressure looks different for men and women Rosewarne says that double standard often overlaps with purity culture — a belief system rooted in faith that links sexual choices to moral values. She says it's important people can express their faith in ways that are meaningful to them. But historically, she says, purity culture has "disproportionately screwed over women". While both men and women face pressures around sex and desirability, Rosewarne says the consequences aren't the same. "There are still different penalties attached to acting on that if you're a woman." Since the 1970s, studies have consistently found that women with strong Christian beliefs that emphasise abstinence are more likely to experience sexual pain disorders, according to research published in Sociology of Religion. It positions women as responsible for tempting men, and burdens them with being the sexual gatekeepers. That's a lot to carry. Lauren Rosewarne, associate professor at the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences Some women exposed to negative beliefs about sex during childhood reported feeling more fear, pain and disgust during sex. "It disadvantages women and constrains their behaviour in ways it doesn't for men," Rosewarne says. "It positions women as responsible for tempting men, and burdens them with being the sexual gatekeepers. That's a lot to carry." Clayton isn't alone in his worldview, with the conversation gaining attention online. Source: Supplied She also notes that men face their own set of expectations, measured by different metrics, but restrictive in their own way. "I have concerns about men's value being connected to their perceived worth. That worth might be tied to resources, which it historically has been, but also to how much in demand they're seen to be." Assumptions made based on numbers Dr Millicent Churcher, a lecturer in philosophy at Australian Catholic University whose research focuses on sexual ethics, says people often treat "body count" like it's some kind of perfect metric, as if there's a magic number that means someone's "good in bed". But in reality, research shows the biggest predictors of sexual wellbeing are communication and trust and being on the same page. The pressure on men to 'perform' sexually, or appear to, is real. About 47 per cent of young Australian men said they felt pressure to live up to the idea that a "real man" should have as many sexual partners as possible, according to The Man Box 2024 report from Jesuit Social Services. About 56 per cent believed there's an expectation that a "real man" would never say no to sex. But around half said they didn't personally feel these pressures, highlighting a gap between social expectations and individual beliefs. "Body count, what does it really tell you?" Churcher says. "I don't see it as necessarily mapping onto sexual desire or to sexual skill or expertise." "You might assume someone with a high body count has a high sex drive or is really experienced. That may not be true."
