You’d be forgiven for thinking the images are of Marin herself, especially considering the Herald-Sun’s colleague news.com.au similarly ran “Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin apologizes for topless photo” and everyone from Australia’s public broadcasters ABC and SBS on commercial channel 9 shared the stories of Finland’s ‘Party PM’. The “topless pictures” are not, of course, of the Finnish prime minister – they are not even particularly “topless”. Those in plain view playfully shield individuals’ chests with a sign that reads ‘Finland’ – a gesture of brand patriotism if ever there was one. One infers that the “steamy” comes from the depiction of two women kissing, which for those of us living in liberal, modern Western countries like Finland – or Australia – is about as steamy as a Sunday dinner with your parents. For Marin, who was raised by lesbian parents, this is, perhaps, literally. As pointed out in solidarity videos created in support of Marin and shared around the world, women dancing, “shining” and arguing at parties is too ubiquitous a Western pastime to be considered, frankly, hume. The point is not, of course, that Marin does in her spare time what 36-year-old Western women do somewhere at any given time. It’s that a 36-year-old Western woman occupies a leadership position that ancient prejudices still – still – associate with older men and a different, gendered set of standards. There are plenty of topless photos of Marin’s Russian neighbor, 69-year-old Vladimir Putin, whose idea of a party is quoting rape song lyrics as he invades sovereign nations. These stories about Marin appeared just as the young Finn outwitted the aging Russian autocrat, asserting strategic prowess and military preparedness with her government’s demand that Finland join the NATO alliance. In this context, footage of her party is the opposite of shame. Putinist images of unlimited power rooted in twee, kitsch stereotypes of male dominance are being brutally undermined by a prime minister who can both party with the girls and look eastward at militarism at the same time. It is literally visible proof of the political power of Western liberalism – that breaking down damaging barriers to power is what brings your best forward. So why has there been some harassment in the media and online? Subscribe to Guardian Australia’s Morning Mail Our Australian morning news email breaks down the key national and international stories of the day and why they matter Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Other commentators have pointed out that those drawn to Marin as a physical object may be distressed and resentful that her position as prime minister confirms her power as a subjective person. It’s a symbol of the feminist achievement that relapsers and outraged cultural-Putinists in the West are fighting – with everything from online harassment to anti-abortion laws – to curtail. Power, as the Western tradition understands it, bestows upon the old white men who wield it their impulses – sexual, chemical or otherwise. Their personal lives are their footnotes, not their story. Note that Australia’s new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, 59, received a celebratory welcome for his own big night out on Monday. Notorious rocker ‘DJ Albo’ was cheered on by the crowds at a Gang of Youths concert, sipping beer, wearing a Joy Division t-shirt. No one forced him to take a drug test like Marin. Indeed, the event represented a humanitarian movement of what we understand as power that comes where the people are. What Marin represents is people coming to where the power is, and her shame for it is telling. For too many media and cultural influence in the West, it’s one thing for a woman to hold office… but the democratization of having a good time is, well, intolerable.
