Grace Tame visits the Prime Minister

This video features in a responsive display in the museum that presents the moments, stories and memes capturing the zeitgeist by going viral on the internet.

You’d be hard pressed to find a woman who hasn’t been told to smile when she obviously doesn’t want to. Patriarchal systems value women who behave, smooth things over and keep the peace – and some seem genuinely shocked when women buck the trend. Enter 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame. In this footage captured by Channel 7 cameraperson Pete Wilkinson during her visit to Government House, Tame made her feelings towards Scott Morrison clear by appearing stony-faced and giving the Prime Minister side-eye during a photo op, which went viral in this tweet from SBS reporter Pablo Vinales and whipped conservative commentators into a frenzy in op-eds and on-air. If only they were as vocal about women’s rights. Maybe they just need to smile more.

Meanwhile, a huge swath of the internet came out in support of Tame’s directness – with stills from the footage shared across social media – likening her demeanour to their feelings towards the Coalition government.

Throughout her tenure as Australian of the Year, Tame has been vocal about the government’s handling of sexual abuse allegations and its treatment of survivors. In April of 2021, when asked about Scott Morrison’s ‘as a father’ response to rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins – which some believe he didn’t take seriously until “viewing it from the lens of being a father of daughters” – Tame responded: “It shouldn’t take children to have a conscience. And actually, on top of that, having children doesn’t guarantee a conscience.” Like this most recent interaction with the Prime Minister, that clip also went viral on the internet, helping solidify Tame’s position as a courageous advocate for sexual assault survivors and a moral champion at a time when many see Australia’s leaders as lacking both courage and morals.

As Imogen Champagne writes in Crikey:, “Conservatives have been trying to silence Grace Tame all year. Now she’s finally given them silence and they can’t shut up about it.”