Anyone watching Strictly?

It's been 15 celebrities for a long time, although it was only 12 in 2020 during Covid. There are more men than women this year but I don't think that's the case every year. There have also been two women (Nicola and Jade) dancing with women. Some contestants have also withdrawn rather than being voted off which is a bother for the producers who want a final featuring 3 people just before Christmas.

I am not enjoying Strictly very much at all this year. It does not sit comfortably with me that Layton is a professional dancer. It does not sit comfortably that the BBC have set out to stoke the gender wars by having both Layton and Amanda, and they appeared to make Amanda apologise for her views. And they are deliberately promoting Layton. Why not make Layton apologise for his views that TWAW, and disagreeing with the PM that women need safe spaces away from any man however they identify.

I do not give a stuff about a man wearing a dress or same sex couples. Just fucking dance and stop making yourself the centre of the universe.

I agree.

I go to dance classes and events where it's normal to switch partners for lessons and freestyles. I sometimes dance with women and DH sometimes dances with men. It's got nothing to do with sexuality or attraction, it's just for mutual enjoyment and expression/creativity. I like that Strictly have moved away from pairing "gay with gay" and much prefer the "same sex with same sex" format.

He was literally paid to dance in heels every night, right at the front of a stage, he is a professional dancer, and should not be in strictly. Just like Ashley from the pussycat dolls a few years ago. Not keen on his pretending to be a woman in the way he moves, either, with his hips out, makes me feel uncomfortable.

I did think last year that the waltz and the Viennese waltz with John and Johannes suffered from the lack of a skirt. You need a flowy skirt to emphasise the twirls. I don’t care what men or women wear just that it suits the dance. I haven’t taken to Layton though, it doesn’t feel like genuine emotion when he dances. By comparison Annabel’s waltz was much more engaging.

I'm not conflicted. I'm weary.
There have been so many men in dresses.
All applauded for being role models of men in adventurous garments.
Only for most, if not all, to turn around and believe their stockinged legs were not just beautiful but also female.

So yeah, yay go Layton but I feel like in a year, especially if he wins, it just might go to his head.

Actually I didn’t enjoy the dance at all, I didn’t think it suited his more masculine style which although he dialled it down it was still there. I’d have preferred a dance which played to his skill set. He couldn’t really pull off the softness.

You haven't said why you are conflicted?

Don't watch the show but does having 2 men mean that the sex split is uneven? So less women on the show? Or do they also have a 2 women couple?

Sex is binary and I personally prefer to watch a male female couple. Makes it even.

@DoItAgainPlz Well yes, because you're spending all day pressed up against them, dancing some quite sexy dances, and it all works better if there's a bit of sexual tension. Preferably not marriage-ending, obvs, but I definitely think it helps if you fancy each other a bit.

And the professionals dance in same-sex couples quite often, without always aligning to their sexuality. Presumably because they're professionals and it's much easier for them.

We have a massive problem that he went to a top theatre school where dancing, acting and singing are given equal credence. He wad then a west end performer in a top musical.

I only discovered this when I looked him up in the first few mins of his first dance after suspecting he was indeed, a professional dancer.

Frankly, he is far closer to the professionals on the show than the average celeb dancer.

Really not fair and seems like the bbc pushing a narrative.

Lovely as he is, he should not win or be in the top 3.

I agree that people should be able to dance with whoever they want.

But it always seems to be "oh you're a gay man so you have to dance with a man".

If they're going to mix it up, mix it up!

Why shouldn't there be same-sex couples? People should dance with whoever they want to, wear whatever they want to. It doesn't matter.

I really liked Layton tonight, and I haven't been overly keen till now simply because he has too much experience (and he's a bit too Gen Z / talking in soundbites for my ancient ears). But he danced beautifully, wasn't too over-confident, and I thought acted it well too. And at no point did he claim to actually be a woman. All good.

Isn’t the question more why shouldn’t there be same sex couples dancing?

Many of the couples' dances are about sex and attraction - the rhumba, for example. And the waltz was considered downright dirty when it was invented... the man gripping the woman round her waist and holding her tightly to him while they moved in synchrony with the pulsing beat...whoof! (Rapidly fans blushing face.)

So it makes sense that, in the 21st century, we recognise that sexual attraction between people of the same sex is normal and as beautiful as heteronormative attraction.

The first year an openly gay pro danced with an gay celeb. I like that this year the sexuality of the pro is not relevant, anymore than it was relevant when the gay male pro danced with a female celeb. But I wonder whether a hetero male celeb will ever dance with a male pro. Unless he is an actor, I expect performing sensuality with another man would be exceptionally challenging.

I thought he was great last week and not so great this week. Fighting over who should lead.

I don't understand why there has to be same-sex couples dancing.

The only difference between homo- and heterosexuals is the sex they're sexually attracted to. And having sex with each other isn't a prerequisite to appearing on Strictly Come Dancing.

I think it was fine that he danced the woman's role and did so wearing a dress. This is what ignoring gender stereotypes is about. I did not see it as drag: there was no woman-face, no exaggerated feminine stereotypes.

OTOH I do not like him as a celeb. He is already a professional dancer. I do not accept that the difference in the genres means his experience moving to music, learning dance moves and dancing on stage are irrelevant. He is also whiney and needy. Previous same-sex couples have switched around the leading and following roles, which made it so much more interesting, and made there be a point in having same-sex couples beyond sexuality. Layton always seems to take the woman's role.

The dance was good but I thought the outfit was really ugly - very frumpy 😕

Layton is fully TWAW and was on Instagram crying about Sunak's "a woman is a woman..." comment.

I thought it was good. I like the way that Nikita and Layton danced in men's roles last week and then switched to male/female this week. Layton gave himself an additional challenge because he has to let Nikita lead when he is dancing the female role. Layton rightly gets a lot of praise but Nikita is really committed to their performance too.

Couldn’t give a stuff if Layton wears a dress. He’s never claimed wearing a dress makes him a woman

twittwr is full of ppl cheering him socking it the “TERFS & transphobes” showing that they still don’t fucking get it. We couldn’t care less what a man wears - dress, tutu, skirt, heels, whatever so long as he doesn’t insist it makes him a woman

Wig did him no favours but a really nice dance. However, as a professional nothing less would be expected.

In fact it's quite refreshing these days. Putting the fun back into performance a la Freddie Mercury & co.