A renowned academic has hit out at a theater critic after he claimed one of his lectures inspired a shady visit to a massage parlour.
Political theory expert Lea Ypi sparked a flood of outrage on social media by posting a copy of Lloyd Evans’ lewd remarks after his Cambridge speech on revolutions.
Evans told in a Spectator article how he lost control of his “crazy libido” while listening to his lecture at the elite university’s Downing College.
In his article, he noted that the London School of Economics professor’s “blond hair fell over her shoulders” and claimed that he was so distracted that she subsequently slept with a Chinese prostitute.
The article sparked an angry response from the Albanian-born professor, as well as others on social media who called it “horrible,” “gross” and “appalling.”
A Spectator columnist wrote that he was so distracted by Professor Lea Ypi’s appearance that he subsequently visited a Chinese prostitute. Pictured: Professor Ypi in Turin, Italy, May 2022
Lloyd Evans (pictured), who is also a sketch editor for the publication, was widely condemned for the column, described as “horrible”, “gross” and “appalling”.
Professor Ypi is an expert in political theory, with degrees in philosophy and literature and previously taught at Nuffield College, Oxford.
She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Advice to academics. Next time you give a talk on Kant and revolutions at Downing (@DarwinCollege) Cambridge, make sure your hair is tied back and you’re not blonde.
“Or the impact of your research will be on the @spectator libido section. »
In the article, titled My (Surprisingly) Decent Proposal, Evans – who is a cartoonist for The Spectator – began by saying that men feel “chained to a fool” when it comes to their libido.
The 61-year-old wrote that he had gone to Downing College for a lecture by Professor Ypi – the lecture had actually taken place at Darwin College – but that his son had been distracted by his appearance .
“Her shoulder-length blond hair absorbed much more of my attention than her political thoughts,” he wrote.
“I was desperate to talk to him afterwards, but I had no way of orchestrating a meeting.”
Evans, who has written for The Spectator since the 1980s, later described going to a “prearranged social gathering…at a private professional venue.”
He explained “how it works”: handing “a roll of notes to a concierge at a desk who ushers you into a softly lit room where your companion awaits you.”
Evans said he met a woman named Shea, who was “small” and “busty.” He added that she “looked Chinese rather than Irish, but you never know these days, so I asked her what part of Ireland she was from.” “Shanghai,” she told me.
She allegedly “rubbed hot wax” on his shoulders before ordering him to “roll over onto my back while she dimmed the lights and raised one eyebrow suggestively.”
He then talks about “negotiations” before describing at length how he paid for the “quick workout” with the woman who he says “had a crooked smile that I find much more attractive than those ultra-white Hollywood teeth which look like pieces of Lego. ‘.
Although he doesn’t go into detail about what they did, he notes that she later complimented “my shabby boots rather than my slim, toned physique.”
He added that she had left her “pale belly exposed” and when she called herself fat, he “instantly jumped to reassure her” before “tenderly smoothing my palm across her stomach”.
Evans wrote that as the two men “moved around, putting on their clothes,” even though they had known each other for less than 20 minutes, there was an “air of ease and familiarity” to their small talk.
His article drew condemnation from academics and commentators, with Professor Ypi’s furious response attracting more than 3,600 likes, 600 reposts, 400 comments and 316 favorites from stunned followers, most of them women.
Darwin College commented: “Absolutely appalled to see this Lea. Your fascinating and beautifully designed lecture was a popular highlight of the college’s cultural year.
Pictured: Professor Ypi attends the Ondaatje Awards at Temple Place in London in May 2022
Pictured: Professor Ypi at the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival in March 2022 in Oxford
Evans (pictured) wrote in his column about a visit to a massage parlor after watching a lecture by Professor Ypi.
“We hope your memory of the event is not tainted by a member of the public using it to write something so crude and offensive.”
Naomi Waltham-Smith called Evans’ article “completely depressing and pathetic, but deeply unpleasant”.
Historian Hélène von Bismark added: “It is horrible, unacceptable and misogynistic waste.”
Oxford lecturer Professor Ben Ansell called it “pathetic, embarrassing, chauvinistic bullshit”, while Professor Linda Connolly simply said: “Ugh!
Micah G Allen, a professor of psychiatry based in Denmark, added: “This is so disgusting, I’m sorry you were subjected to this. What women in universities are experiencing is a shame.
One Ms Dayglo said: “I’m so sorry that someone like that is perverting you. And he was paid to write this.
His academic colleague Colin Wight added: “This really is such a strange article to write. I don’t see the point.
Historian Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley added: “It’s horrible. I am really sorry.’
Others commented not only on the comments about Professor Ypi, but also on Evans’ description of meeting him at the massage parlor.
Feminist columnist Hadley Freeman wrote: “Regarding this revolting Spectator article, people are rightly outraged by the one-handed author’s comments about the academic. But it’s the way he writes about “speed training” with the sex worker (who could very well be a victim of trafficking) that made me angry. Paying for sex is abusive and unforgivable.
Writer Julie Bindel was equally blunt: “What a disgusting man Lloyd Evans is. He should be sent to an island inhabited only by crocodiles.
Evans told the Mail’s Richard Kay last night that he was baffled by the reaction to his article.
“No, I didn’t expect it,” he said.
Evans, who has written for The Spectator since the 1980s, is no stranger to sexual shenanigans.
He has previously addressed the same subject in other Spectator columns, writing in January how about a “small buxom figure” who “jumped on top of me, straddling my thighs” as she gave him a vigorous Thai massage.
In the early 2000s, the magazine was nicknamed the “Sextator”, such were the stories of intrigue, infidelity and occasional affairs – involving various staff members and a Cabinet minister – under the editorship of the era of Boris Johnson.
This provided material for a hilarious prank called Who’s The Daddy? staged in a London theater and written by Evans himself.
Last night, Toby Young, Evans’ collaborator on the play and fellow Spectator columnist, said: “I can’t wait for this scandal to blow out of proportion and then go see Lloyd’s very funny piece about this whole affair.”
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