Comfort Emmanson’s flight from Uyo to Lagos was supposed to be just another plane ride. Instead, it turned into a public nightmare.
She was dragged out of the plane, her shirt ripped, a video of her exposed breast went viral, and she ended up in prison. All this over a disagreement about turning off her phone.
Now compare that to a recent airport drama with Fuji musician Kwam 1. He allegedly refused to follow flight crew instructions, poured liquid on staff, blocked the plane on the tarmac and yet, no one dragged him, no one humiliated him, and certainly, he wasn’t jailed. The difference is glaring, and it has Nigerians talking.
After public outrage, Comfort was released, but the humiliation she endured shows exactly how women are treated when things go wrong.
Urban Woman Magazine spoke to five women to get their take on what happened and the wider issue of gender double standards.
Ngozi
Seeing Comfort dragged and exposed made me angry. They didn’t need to humiliate her like that. She could have been removed without embarrassing her publicly.
Laura
Both Comfort and Kwam 1 acted out, but only she faced jail and public ridicule. That tells you everything about the gender bias in our system.
Favour
I think it was more of a status discrimination Fuji musician kwam 1 is a popular musician. So they didn’t embarass him and just because Comfort is not well known, they treated her like she wasnt a human being. This shows the way double standards have eaten deep into our society.
Shelika
The double standard in Nigeria, especially as regards women, is not something that started today. When a woman is involved, she’s seen as someone that’s weak and can be ‘dealt’ with. But when it’s a man, little to nothing is done. I mean, see what they did to a whole female senator sometime back. Anyway, I love the way Nigerians stood up for comfort to ensure another injustice doesn’t prevail. However, we really need to wake up as a nation and put an end to these double standards.
Judith
I have no words for the person that recorded and posted a video of her breasts for the world to see. I also have a problem with the men offering her money and expense paid trip to cities and countries. I dont think that is out of goodwill, i justthink they have ulterior motives which is disgusting to say the least.
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
When she’s not writing, Olekanma enjoys immersing herself in a good book, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new cultures.