Why Below Deck Fans’ Critique Of Sandy May Be Rooted In Misogyny

Below Deck fans have had a lot of criticism for Captain Sandy Yawn recently, and it seems she faces more backlash than the male captains on the show.

Since Captain Sandy Yawn took over Below Deck season 10, she’s faced a lot of criticism that seems to be rooted in sexism. It’s been a chaotic season for Sandy as she’s had to deal with firing Camille Lamb for not getting along with Alissa Humber, lacking a work ethic, and being disrespectful to other crew members. She’s also had several disagreements with chief stew Fraser Olender who doesn’t seem like the biggest Captain Sandy fan at the moment. Sandy does her best to do what she believes is right, but when Fraser has a different way of handling situations, it causes tension between the two.

Earlier this season, the female crew members, like Below Deck deckhand Katie Glaser expressed how much they love Sandy and how empowering it is to have a woman in charge, especially since it’s a male-dominated industry. Sandy also spoke about the difficulties of being a woman in the industry in an episode when a male captain wanted her to move her boat so that he wouldn’t have to move his. Luckily she stood her ground and did not let the male captain order her around.

Related: Why Below Deck Fans Are Comparing Captain Lee & Captain Sandy

Below Deck Fans Don’t Give The Same Critique To Captain Lee

The Below Deck fan critique of Sandy increased during the latest episode because fans weren’t pleased with how she spoke to Fraser. Fans have accused Sandy of micromanaging the crew and have been begging Captain Lee to return to the season so Sandy can leave. “The actual problem on the boat that needs [eliminating],” Twitter user @justy70190771 wrote along with a photo of Sandy. Luckily, one fan jumped to Sandy’s defense, replying, “Why? Because she’s doing her job as captain and not constantly cuddling the crew and showering them with love and affection?” The fan also pointed out that fans don’t have the same criticism of Captain Lee, and he is “a bigger ball buster than Sandy.“

The Male Below Deck Captains Have Had Their Bad Moments Too

Sandy is not the only one to have disagreements with crew members or get angry. Captain Lee gets angry quite a lot. At one point in the show, he yelled at a charter guest for jumping into the water drunk, and he put an end to her and her friends’ vacation. However, Below Deck fans still see him as a powerful captain who knows what he’s doing. When he’s stern with crew members or guests, he does not receive the same backlash Sandy does from Below Deck fans. In response to a fan begging for Lee to come back, Twitter user @MixedSands wrote, “[Sandy] is an excellent Captain! She had to fight her way to the top because she was female. Males don’t have to go through that because yachting is a male-dominated industry with lots of sexism.“

Sandy does not deserve the criticism she receives and should be getting a lot more praise than fans have given her. When Camille and Alissa fought in front of charter guests, it would have been valid for her to lose her temper, but she didn’t. The way she handled the situation was impressive. She stayed calm, talked to both crew members separately, and made a decision based on both sides of the story. Sandy has proven herself to be a strong Captain, and Below Deck fans need to be aware of how they react to her versus how they react to the male captains.

More: Why Fans Think Captain Sandy Made The Below Deck Season 10 Drama Worse

Below Deck airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.

Sources: @justy70190771/Twitter, @MixedSands/Twitter