For most students, an unexpected pop quiz is the biggest surprise they’ll encounter in the classroom. For followers of Victoria Bateman, however, there is no end to what she’ll do to gain their attention — even if it means baring her nude physique while giving one of her infamous political lectures.
By day, Bateman is an economist at the University of Cambridge. Of course, it’s not her globalist research for which she’s best known anymore. When she isn’t giving a formal lecture, the feminist professor is stripping off her clothes in what she insists is not only “art” but a way to promote female empowerment and the case for her political views.
Bateman garnered international attention when she gave an 18+ nude lecture to protest the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. After seeing her notoriety skyrocket, Bateman decided to use her naked body as an instrument in many of her political lectures, including her support for abortion with the slogan “My body my choice.”
Expectedly, Bateman has encountered controversy, as the majority of responses to her stunts are negative, to say the least. However, instead of reprimanding Bateman or even attempting to distance their university from the exhibitionist lecturer, Cambridge has silently stood by as their prestigious reputation takes a hit.
Bateman has tirelessly tried to convince her critics that strutting around an auditorium nude doesn’t diminish her message, according to The College Fix. In fact, she claims that exposing her breasts, buttocks, and vagina to eager listeners somehow strengthens the case for feminism. She later posted a portion of her nude lecture on Twitter, prompting a flood of mocking.
“Women’s bodies are one of the big battlegrounds we face today, whether in terms of women’s access to birth control, sex workers’ rights or clothing, including burka bans,” Bateman told Inside Higher Ed. “By covering up the body, these problems don’t go away. Instead, we fail to address them because we think of the body as something that’s embarrassing and not to be talked about in polite — or academic — company.”
When questioned about her unconventional and possibly vulgar method, Bateman refused to answer. Instead, she maintains that it is empowering for women to expose their genitals to strangers, admitting that she “uses” her body as a tool to get what she wants.
As she saw it, however, “the relevant question is not ‘Why use your naked body?’ but ‘Why not use your naked body?’ Reversing the question in this way helps to reveal people’s inner thoughts or presumptions about women’s bodies: that when a woman shows her body it devalues her worth or decreases the respect people have for her.” She also believes “in the power of art to go beyond what academic writing alone can offer … I’ve condensed all my words into one simple message: that Britain has been sold the emperor’s new clothes.”
Victoria Bateman has since been inundated with negative and sometimes hostile messages and comments on social media. Oddly, Bateman rarely responds but takes the time to screenshot and repost these messages in an effort to shame her critics.
Of course, her private lectures aren’t the only times when Bateman likes to flash the audience. In fact, she has unexpectedly stripped down on a number of radio, podcast, and television segments, forcing her hosts and audience members to witness her privates whether they’d like to or not.
In any other sense, Bateman could easily be seen as a perverted exhibitionist who sexually harasses unsuspecting individuals with her unwanted nudity. However, because she is a “feminist,” she has the privilege of avoiding consequences that others, particularly men, would experience if they carried out the same stunt.
Sadly, Bateman’s activism is tarnishing Cambridge’s prestigious reputation. Her own pitiable compulsion to display her genitals is both telling of her nature and the weakness in her argument. Of course, if anyone wants to attend a peep show under the guise of intellectual stimulation, they can always purchase tickets to one of Bateman’s events.