Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun or B-girl Raygun, has emerged as a polarizing force. Her intention to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics became a cause of heated discussion. Fronting for Australia, she achieved an Australian Eurovision record nul points in her performance that featured her signature kangaroo hop as a showstopper. Gunn’s Olympic journey has drawn significant attention, not only for her performance but for the social media backlash she faced, which included both criticism of her dance quality and sexist remarks directed at her as a prominent female athlete.
Gunn’s path to the Olympic squad was facilitated by a spot allocated to Oceania’s own championship. Yet, her selection was not without its critics. Since then, critics have ripped apart her performance, calling into question her qualifications and even deriding her academic accomplishments. Gunn, who earned her PhD, wrote her dissertation focusing specifically on the intersections of gender and hip-hop dance. This topic has been the source of laughter from certain sectors.
The mockery hit a crescendo with the Edinburgh Fringe show “Breaking the Musical,” a satire on Gunn’s Olympic adventure. Through this comedic lens, she seems like a spoiled brat. She allegedly faked her way onto the Olympic team. The show never pulls punches when it comes to making fun of her credentials on paper. This opens up some really interesting conversations about gender dynamics in dance and public life.
Social media backlash to Gunn’s performance was equally as swift and ruthless. People blasted her for the choreography, calling it an inappropriate dance routine. They were blatantly sexist, contrasting the hurdles women continue to encounter in positions of public power and influence. This response underscores the uphill battle women athletes must still fight to receive equal recognition and respect in their sports.
Gunn’s story is more than a parable about knee-jerk criticism. It further exposed the bigger cultural dynamics that are at play in the dance world. She was taking part in breaking, a dance form with rich heritage in Black American and Latino culture. Now, it has transformed into an international art form that thrives on revolutionizing the landscape today – artistically, politically and socially. With breaking just in the Olympic fold for the first time, it’s a fitting tribute to its evolution. Its future is already deeply endangered, having been pulled from the calendar with insufficient time to address any problems from its inaugural event.
Gunn’s husband was not a member of the selection panel for the Olympic team, emphasizing that her selection was based on merit within the context of Oceania’s championship. The level of backlash has uncovered an ugly undercurrent in which women athletes are routinely held to higher standards and subjected to harsher judgment.
A staged iteration of “Breaking the Musical” ran into some surprising roadblocks during an Australian tour. Rachael Gunn’s legal team stepped in, resulting in the stop. This ruling highlights the fraught line between artistic expression and the right to personal boundaries, especially when it comes to public figures.