University Challenge contestant: 'I can't believe I've been called the perfect woman'

When medical student Emma Johnson went onto University Challenge, as part of Oxford University's Corpus Christi team, she had no idea she would end up as an internet sensation. Yet after her appearance on the BBC quiz show, she found herself labelled 'the perfect woman.'

Here she tells Radhika Sanghani how it felt:

"When I went on University Challenge, I didn’t exactly sit around agonising over fashion choices. To me, it wasn’t an appearance conscious show, so I just put on an outfit I was happy with and did my make-up in the way I usually do. I wasn’t aware the show had a strong online following, and I definitely didn’t expect to find myself at its centre.

But this morning, I found myself being labelled “the perfect woman" with viewers wondering if I was ‘the hottest contestant ever.'

I’m not on Twitter so when a friend sent the media coverage over to me this morning. I thought it was a joke at first - I was in my pyjamas at home. But when it dawned on me that it was real, I swung between thinking ‘this is nice and flattering’ and ‘is this sexist?’

It’s a quiz programme - it isn’t The Bachelor. I wasn’t on there to be judged over my appearance, and I know I’m not the only female contestant to be treated that way.

I dislike the idea that I’m ‘one of the hottest’, because it suggests there’s a ranking somewhere. That’s something they don’t do for the boys. Occasionally someone might say ‘X male contestant is super hot’, but it tends to be with a less objectifying tone.

There’s also a huge amount more negative commentary about female contestants. If a girl reasonably decides she doesn't want to spend time on hair and make-up - because it’s a quiz show so why should she? - there's a whole bunch of unpleasant stuff said about her appearance.

Of course there has been a similar furore for male contestants, who have also been torn into for how they dress and behave, but it does feel different for women - particularly as there’s so few of us on the show. It’s a real shame.

At my college they were really keen to have more women on the team, but very few apply. I think it’s because women see teams of boys on there, and feel it’s not for them. It’s self-perpetuating.

At Oxford certainly, the quiz society is very male dominated. I’ve been in rooms where I’m the only woman out of 40 people. They’re not doing anything to discourage women from applying, but it’s always a bit strange to walk into the room when you’re the only woman there.

I’m still glad I did the show. I really enjoyed it - even though we lost this round - and I suspect the coverage I would have had if I’d been on a different quiz show would have been less polite. For all its new social media presence, University Challenge is an academic BBC quiz show.

It’s still relatively genteel, so I can’t imagine what it must be like to go on a more popular show as a woman and have vast quantities of opinions about your appearances put into cyber space.

Still, at least these views have a surprisingly intellectual conception of what the ‘perfect woman is’. It’s nice they factored brains in!

My family and friends all find it hilarious - especially as I’m not the kind of person who walks around my life being told things like this. People on Twitter want to know if I’m single, and I am - but for their proposals, I don’t think this is the way I’ll meet someone: it’s just too weird."

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