Councillor’s remark ‘sexist’
compliment, then
He said the world was in trouble if people were taking offence to compliments.
‘‘Forget nuclear peace – if the world can’t laugh at itself in a compliment then we’re really, really in trouble. Climate change is the least of our worries if we can’t laugh.’’
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel ruled the comment ‘‘out of order’’ and made Keown retract it.
‘‘I know what you are trying to say, it just really was a very bad way to try and say it,’’ she said during Monday’s meeting.
Keown said the comment was ‘‘meant to be lighthearted and certainly not offensive to Merivale women’’. ‘‘I compared Merivale because that’s where our rich and beautiful people live.’’ He said he had apologies.’’ Aaron Keown received cosmetic work himself and had modelled for money when he was younger.
‘‘If anything more people should take more pride in their appearance.’’
While a person’s personality was their most important feature, they would find more success if they took more pride in their appearance, he said.
A Merivale wife and mother, who had lived in the suburb for 26 years, said Keown’s comment was offensive. The woman, who did not want to be named, said there was a much broader cross-section of people in Merivale than most people believed.
‘‘To be fair, we have that lifestyle around but it doesn’t typify Merivale. Most suburbs of Christchurch have the Merivale wife living in them.’’