Channel 5Celebrity Big Brother is now officially under way and the house has been filled with female contestants only, for a special anniversary.
The series, which launched tonight (Tuesday 2 January), is all-female, but male housemates, with male contestants being added in gradually through the series and competing in tasks set to question gender stereotypes.
Some people have moaned the Channel 5 show is being ‘sexist’ in its methods… but actually it’s not.
Everyone stop crying about #cbb being all female! The shows representing 100 years since we won the right to vote it's not just being "sexist". Anyway now there's a less chance we'll get those stupid showmances and instead just embracing the female power! #CelebrityBigBrother
— Han??? (@Rose_RosieChild) January 2, 2018
You see, the reason the contestants are all female is because it’s been 100 years since women were awarded the vote – after years of protesting.
According to The Independent, the programme is hoping the decision will ‘help to challenge assumptions of what exactly it means to be a woman – or a man – in the 21st century’.
Loving #CBB , the year of the WOMAN!?????
— Megan xx (@megangarrityxx) January 2, 2018
Journalist Rachel Johnson – sister of Foreign Secretary, Boris – is one of the contestants this year, as is Keeping Up With The Kardashians TV personality Malika Huqq along with MP Anne Widdecombe.
Self-confessed ‘proud feminist’ Ashley James is also in the house.
Made In Chelsea beauty Ashley, who’s since left the show, has gone onto have a successful DJ and presenting career.
Proud feminist @ashleyljames is next to enter the #CBB House, let's hope she's feeling the girl power tonight! ?♀️ #CBBASHLEY pic.twitter.com/0AzwmETHM5
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) January 2, 2018
Tamsin Dodgson, executive editor of CBB, told BBC News:
We approach each series thinking of ways to make it as entertaining and engaging as possible.
As the nation prepares to mark [the centenary], we’re launching the show with female-only contestants which is a gentle nod to this landmark anniversary.
Putting the women in first and allowing them to settle and take control of the house before the men arrive will create an interesting dynamic.
How do the different groups cope with power and what impact does gender really have? Fundamentally though it will be a lot of fun to watch.
Make some noise for TV starlet and @khloekardashian's bestie, it's @ForeverMalika! #CBBMALIKA #CBB ?♀️ pic.twitter.com/GIYVlDQace
— Big Brother UK (@bbuk) January 2, 2018
She added:
The men will arrive slightly later and Big Brother provides the perfect lens through which to explore what it is to be a woman – and a man – in 2018.
Gender feels like the perfect concept to explore within Big Brother. Our celebrities, as you’d expect, come with differing backgrounds, experiences and points of view, so I think you can expect a lively, opinionated but ultimately entertaining series to kick off the New Year.
This is not the first time Big Brother has kicked off with an all-female group of contestants – back when the show was on Channel 4, their summer 2007 series saw 11 female housemates enter the house.
On the third day, they added one male contestant who was then gradually followed by more. One of them, Brian Belo, went on to win.
Happy Anniversary to women’s votes!
