Banned Cambridge jelly wrestlers replaced with giant bucking penis

Following a petition that attracted more than 1,000 signatures, the Wyverns drinking society agreed to cancel their 'traditional' annual jelly wrestling contest. Its replacement, according to some, isn't much better...

Sebastian Salek
Tuesday 25 June 2013 19:15 BST
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The penis-shaped bucking bronco from this year's Wyverns garden party
The penis-shaped bucking bronco from this year's Wyverns garden party

They attracted so much criticism for their jelly-wrestling-in-bikinis ‘tradition’ that they were forced to apologise and ban it, but now the Wyverns drinking society at Cambridge University has come under fresh fire after inviting guests to ride a penis-shaped bucking bronco at their annual garden party this year.

Although the ride was open to both male and female partygoers last Sunday, the symbolism of the ride was criticised by some Cambridge feminists.

The university’s women’s officer said, “When the Wyverns agreed to cancel the jelly wrestling, I (perhaps naively) believed that they had understood how it contributed to sexist and objectifying attitudes to women.”

“However, their decision to replace it with the rodeo penis revealed that they were not this discerning and that the complaints made in the petition that the jelly wrestling was an outlet for their misogyny were correct. I urge the Wyverns to reconsider their ethos as it is currently an outdated masculinity that is directly detrimental to the freedom and wellbeing of women.”

However, other students were unphased by the attraction. One female partygoer told Varsity, “I really don’t know what the big deal is. I understand why people could perhaps be offended, but the feminist movement within Cambridge seems to have had a wildly disproportionate response.”

The decision was particularly sensitive given the Wyverns’ promise not to hold a jelly wrestling competition after a petition to end the tradition reached over 1,000 signatures.

The promise was honoured, but a sign by a paddling pool of jelly at the event read: “Please refrain from wrestling in our jelly.” A rumoured ‘custard tussle’ event to replace jelly wrestling did not emerge.

Cambridge University declined to comment, while no member of the Wyverns could be reached.

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