The mayor of Huehuetán, a town in the Mexican state of Chiapas, has come under harsh criticism for hiring strippers to entertain his male constituents during this year’s Father’s Day celebrations.

It’s been over a month since this year’s Father’s Day, and while most of us have already forgotten all about it, the men of Huehuetán will probably remember this year’s festivities for a very long time. And it’s all because of a surprise from Mayor Manuel Ángel Villalobos, who decided that it would be a good idea to offer the men of his town something truly memorable – a lewd strip show. A poster promoted online before Father’s Day invited the males of Huehuetán to the local auditorium on June 17 for a special event featuring “a show, surprised, and presents,” but mentioned in red lettering that “no children” and “no women” were invited.

Photos and videos from the special Father’s Day event show a crowd of eager men, electrical appliances as raffle prizes, traditional music, and a trio of scantly-dressed women ready to put on a memorable performance. The girls were such a big hit with the male participants that some of the bravest of them even went up on stage, laid down, and had the girls dance on top of them.

According to some Mexican news sources, some of the local women disregarded the Mayor’s warning not to attend the festivities and even brought their children with them. That turned out to be a bad idea, and most of them left the auditorium as soon as the strip show started. That didn’t stop them from criticizing Mayor Villalobos for the sexually-suggestive performance of the strippers.

“We strongly condemn that during the Father’s Day event sponsored by the Huehuetán City Council and the Municipal DIF a show of dancers with sexually-suggestive poses and dances was organized,” the Chiapas feminist collective, 50+1, stated, adding that the popular holiday is meant to highlight the importance of the father figure in the family nucleus, not reinforce gender stereotypes and objectify women.

Meanwhile, there were no complaints from male constituents. As for Mayor Manuel Ángel Villalobos, he deleted the photos of the strippers he had shared on social media but was otherwise unapologetic about the controversial strip show.

 

“Don’t forget that the reason for coming here was to have fun for a while,” he told participants during the event. “This program is made for you, I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a good time, a good memory.”