Malaysian professor triggers backlash for saying women should 'act dumb' in order to attract a man

A Malaysian professor has been lambasted for a video in which she states that women should "dumb themselves down" in order to attract a partner.

Dr Muhaya Mohamad, who's a well-known ophthalmologist and media personality in the country, allegedly posted a video on her social media channels in which she aired her opinion on why women are marrying late.

The video has since been deleted but was reshared by a Twitter user on Tuesday (June 8).

Among the many incendiary remarks made by Muhaya, she stated that women were driven to succeed due to "high levels of testosterone", and advised them to "stop trying to liberate yourself to be equal to men".

One of her tips for women to end their singlehood included "dumbing down so men will like us, otherwise, we will end up marrying much later".

With regard to religion, the motivational speaker gave the example that women should always look to men for leadership, regardless of their status in the workplace.

According to the Malay Mail, Muhaya was quoted as saying: "All imams are men, prophets were also men.

"Let's say in the office you have a general worker who's male and a female CEO, when you're praying, the man is still leading you no matter what."

Not surprisingly, her opinions have been slammed as "sexist" and "misogynistic" by Malaysians.

Said Twitter user Farrah who reuploaded the clip to her channel: "If women are too independent, we would have high testosterone? I would rather be single if my stupidity attracts my future spouse."

[embed]https://twitter.com/emptyshadoww/status/1402258832601014286[/embed]

Her post has attracted over 1.5 million views on Twitter, with a majority condemning Muhaya for her comments.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Kfaizureen/status/1402433400187736069[/embed]

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In an interview with World of Buzz, Farrah shared that she felt insulted by the insinuations that women should “degrade themselves just to feed a man’s ego”.

However, some noted that this could be typical of a "boomer mindset", to which one netizen disagreed.

[embed]https://twitter.com/mawashariff/status/1402455284291829760[/embed]

Another user expressed concern that Muhaya's rhetoric could be "sending the wrong message" to young women. "Women should definitely not lower their intellectual level just so that they can attract a man," said the user.

[embed]https://twitter.com/DrAmalinaBakri/status/1402400212795203585[/embed]

The issue has also spawned the thread "#bodohbodohsikit" on Twitter, with men voicing their disagreement with Muhaya as well.

[embed]https://twitter.com/shaarin/status/1402509651241881603[/embed]

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Muhaya is no stranger to controversy. She had previously come under fire in January this year, reported Malay Mail, for urging those with anxiety to stop taking their prescribed medication.

The issue of sexism in Malaysia also raised its ugly head in March, when a government body was made to apologise for posting a series of "household happiness" posters criticised for being sexist.

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The Malaysian women's ministry had offered tips for how wives should behave during the country's movement control order period as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, reported several news agencies.

One post which triggered backlash advised women to "avoid nagging" their husbands and to imitate the squeaky voice of the cartoon character Doraemon.

candicecai@asiaone.com