As women around the world post videos of themselves dancing in solidarity with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, experts say the furore around her partying stinks of gender and age discrimination.
They also say the scandalisation of the incident is another example of the world's failure to see women as natural leaders. In fact, it should be refreshing to see professional women also having fun in 2022, they add.
Ms Marin has been swirling in controversy since a video leaked online last week of her dancing at a private house party.
It quickly incited criticism of the Finnish leader's personal and political judgement; whether it was appropriate for her to run the country and drink and dance with her friends, and given the leak, how trustworthy the people she spends time with may be.
The 36-year-old defended herself by saying she did nothing but “dance, sing, hug my friends and drink alcohol”.
“I hope that in the year 2022 it’s accepted that even decision-makers dance, sing and go to parties,” she said.
Last week, Ms Marin took which returned a negative result on Monday.
In support, hundreds of women both in Finland and around the world posted their own videos of themselves dancing and drinking in solidarity with the Finnish leader, using the hashtag #SolidarityWithSanna.
"Yes, women are allowed to fight for their right to party, even with they're PM," said one, while another tweeted: "Prime Minister Marin, we the women of the world, in all our hues, we dance with you, with pride. Rock on..."
Some were even leaders themselves, such as Brenda Bailey, Parliamentary Secretary for Technology and Innovation for British Colombia, Canada, who posted a clip of herself dancing with a drink in hand.
In Australia, politician Fiona Patten, who sits on the Victorian Legislative Council, tweeted: "If letting off steam at a party is the worst thing your prime minister has done, then you're a pretty lucky country."
Lecturer in politics at Monash University Dr Blair Williams told SBS News that while the questions around the trust with regard to the people in Ms Marin's circle are valid, the furore seems to stem from her being a woman and being young.
"It's kind of ageism and sexism that we're seeing. In the scheme of the world, she's a very young leader, considering what we're used to having. So I think all of that means that she experiences a lot of scrutiny and criticism that other leaders I don't think would if they were older, especially if they were older men."
A lot of the backlash comes through an unfamiliarity of seeing a young person as prime minister doing things young people do, she says.
"We see a lot of prime ministers in their 50s and their 60s, and therefore they do the kind of socialising that is more normal for someone of that age. Where for someone in their 30s, it is pretty normal to dance with your friends, to drink with your friends do those sorts of things.
"As a young person myself, I find it really refreshing and inspiring that a young woman can have the serious job and this very important role and do well in that, while also balancing that with downtime with friends.
"We rarely see those images, we mostly see older men in those positions with families. And if they party, it's accepted because partying for men is kind of within the norms."
"I find it really refreshing and inspiring that a young woman can have the serious job while also balancing that with downtime with friends. We rarely see those images."Lecturer in politics at Monash University Dr Blair Williams
Male leaders who drink seen as 'legends'
In the UK, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's recent "partygate" scandal erupted only due to the timing of the gatherings amid the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.
In Australia, media coverage on the party hosted by former prime minister Tony Abbott on the night he lost the top job in 2015 centred around a broken marble table. Meanwhile, another former leader Bob Hawke was revered for his larrikin behaviour and penchant for beer.
Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations at the University of Sydney Business School Rae Cooper says some male world leaders get away with behaviour that is far worse.
"We have seen some of the most powerful male politicians in the world openly admit to sexually harassing and assaulting women, we’ve seen others hosting boozy parties in the middle of city-wide lockdowns," she told SBS News.
"It seems to me that a young woman political leader, like Sanna Marin, having a dance and having fun with her mates has nothing on these other examples. I think the reaction is because we are not accustomed, and some people are not comfortable with, women (and especially young) women in positions of power.
"The videos of women dancing that are being posted online are a collective cry of solidarity with Sanna and probably also a cry of ‘so what?!’."
Women political leaders are often judged more harshly and by different standards to men in the same roles, Professor Cooper added.
"Their looks, dress, tone of voice and behaviour are judged by very antiquated standards that are rarely applied to men in the same positions. This reflects an unease with seeing women in positions of power."
CEO of Diversity Australia Steve Asnicar said that men frowning on Ms Marin as a powerful woman enjoying life was "a double standard" and "very sad".
"If it had been any other man they would have been a “Bloody Legend” in Bob Hawke’s terms," he told SBS News. "Sanna Marin is an incredibly talented person and we need many more like her in the world."
Mr Asnicar said he fears these kinds of judgements may also deter other women from entering public life for fear of being judged.
"Our male politicians' phobia of strong women still exists today and is one of the single largest barriers for females entering politics because of behavioural judgement and dress standards, which exclude people in the worst possible way. We need to reset these boundaries as the world changes to meet the new world requirements.
"The future of our success of Australia is predicated on that we need many more females to enter this field judged on how they do the job, not on how they enjoy life."
