An Australian influencer has caused a stir online after posting a video of her twerking “for the troops” on Anzac Day.
April 25 is possibly the most solemn day on the national calendar, when thousands of Australians and New Zealanders commemorate the Anzac landing. [Australian and New Zealand Army Corps] Troops at Gallipoli in World War I.
Many of them paid the ultimate sacrifice.
On what would be the 108th anniversary of that landing, there were moving scenes at sunrise services and marches across the country, and the world, with young and old alike coming together to honor our service men and women.
But comedian Bianka Ismailovski paid a different tribute to the troops by posting a video of herself laughing and twerking on social media.
“I spent this morning twerking but then I remembered [sic] it’s Anzac Day so I guess I’m giving it back to them,” he wrote in the video.
“So we don’t forget x”
In the video below, Bianka addressed the seemingly inevitable controversy her ‘tribute’ was to generate.
“I know some people will say ‘that’s disrespectful,’ but is it? Me shaking this beautiful juicy ass?” she said.
I do it for the troops, okay? We all honor in our own way. I’m doing what I think they would like if I’m being honest. I’m basically Bette Midler right now.”
The Bette Midler reference may be to the singer’s performance as Dixie Leanord in the 1991 war film For The Boys.
But even so, it seems the whole gag has come crashing down, with Australia’s own influencer watchdog account, Influencer Tea Aus, slamming the post.
“This is not everything! Comedian or not… humor has its place. I don’t think it’s Anzac Day,” the account refuted in its own post.
Bianka’s post is markedly different from the thousands of humble tributes posted by other Australian figures who attended dawn services and marches to pay their respects.
Many were among the thousands who joined crowds at cenotaphs across the country or flooded the streets to cheer on the servicemen and women marching in Anzac Day parades.
Meanwhile, many seemed to be flocking to pubs and hotels across the country for an afternoon for two, a revival of an ancient gambling game made popular by Australian troops during World War I, until dark.
But even scenes at the classic Anzac Day pub event have sparked a similar debate about propriety on the solemn occasion, after a woman was photographed ripping a shoe in two.
The post by Bianka, a self-proclaimed “bisexual, sober and ethically non-monogamous divorced comedian,” also struck an equally bizarre tone as other posts wished a “happy Anzac Day” on social media, a big no-no that has been criticized. by veterans
“The word ‘happy’ shouldn’t be used… You say ‘Happy Easter’ and Christmas, but this is a solemn day and it’s not appropriate,” veteran David Sieber told The Daily Telegraph.
He said that the phrase was “disrespectful” to those who fell in combat, and that “today is an act of Remembrance.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reminded the thousands who gathered in cold Canberra at the Australian War Memorial of that fact.
“Every Anzac Day, from the largest monument to the simplest cenotaph, we honor all who have served in our name and all who serve today,” he said.
“It is a collective act of remembrance, reflection and gratitude, carried out by multiple generations of Australians and dedicated to multiple generations.”
He also reminded us of the ongoing “internal battle” many servicemen and women face when they return home from combat, “a battle that, tragically, is not always won.”
“If we are going to truly honor our veterans, we owe them more than gratitude. Just as they stepped up for us, we must step up for them.”