Sóley Tómasdóttir, the Left-Green Movement’s representative on Reykjavík City Council and the council’s chairperson, has been appointed ‘bacon ambassador’ by the Icelandic Bacon Brotherhood (ÍBB), which organizes the Reykjavík Bacon Festival.
Sóley told ruv.is that with her diplomatic skills, she intends to further the reputation of bacon in society and fight for animal welfare at pork farms in the country.
“She will prove a great spokesperson for bacon and with the appointment we further strengthen our relationship with Reykjavík City. We are also happy about having gained a bacon ‘sister.’ Given that this is a brotherhood, there’s not much gender equality. Once again, Sóley breaks down barriers,” commented Árni Georgsson, one of ÍBB’s members. Sóley is known for supporting gender equality in her work.
The recent appointment of two ambassadors, that of former PM Geir H. Haarde and MP Árni Þór Sigurðsson, has been disputed, particularly because eight out of the country’s ten ambassadors are men.
When asked why this is the case, Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson told Fréttatíminn: “It may be because of tradition. It may sound like a cliché but ambassadorial duties often require people to work around the clock and move between countries. Fewer women may therefore be interested in such work.”
On the website knuz.is, five women applied for work as ambassadors in an open letter to Gunnar Bragi, including Sóley.
However, she denies that she is poking fun at the minister by accepting the position as ‘bacon ambassador.’
“On the contrary. It shows my explicit intention in becoming ambassador. This is only the first step and I’m certain the foreign minister will pay attention and offer me a position in the future,” Sóley responded.
The Reykjavík Bacon Festival will be held next weekend.
