They said that sometimes the Dalai Lama “makes off-the-cuff remarks, which might be amusing in one cultural context, lose their humour in translation when brought into another.”

They claimed it was a “joke” and he was at first (in Paris) “partially responding to the unfamiliar ambiance of working with a team whose prime focus was the world of high fashion.”

It added that the Dalai Lama “ has opposed the objectification of women, has supported women and their rights and celebrated the growing international consensus in support of gender equality and respect for women.”

That’s true. The Dalai Lama did say that and he did say in the same interview that he supported women’s rights and equal pay in the workplace.

But I can’t help but wonder, does he only support attractive women who wear makeup? And does saying it was ‘just a joke’ excuse his sexist remark?

It reminds me of something I read. In June 2013, a menu for a Liberal Party fundraiser in Australia was leaked on social media. The menu carried a grossly sexist line about then-Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.

It said: “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail: small breasts, huge thighs, and a big red box.” The chef who created the menu called it a joke, citing that the opposition leaders had not seen the menu.

So that was a joke, too. You see, when it comes to degrading women, it’s disguised as a joke.

A study found, not surprisingly, that “playful, demeaning, group-based comments cloaked in humor…are among the most common ways that women experience sexism in the workplace and other settings.”

Sexist humor, they go on to note, is “humor that denigrates, demeans, stereotypes, oppresses, or objectifies women.” It’s basically “modern” sexism — it’s a demeaning view about women masked in a subtle form that’s socially acceptable.

I’m not saying that the Dalai Lama is doing that deliberately. The cognitive dissonance is big here. I can’t imagine Dalai Lama hurting anyone on purpose.

And that’s the danger. Religious leaders get away with a lot because they’re put on a pedestal as ‘the holy men of God’ or ‘the living Buddha’ who can do no harm. It doesn’t help that the Dalai Lama is naturally a playful, down-to-earth guy, either.

But I wonder, where do we draw the line between sexism and humor? Additionally, he has been praised for saying in various interviews that there should be women leaders because they’re biologically more compassionate.

But isn’t that just another form of gender stereotype harmful to women?

When Dalai Lama says that about women, he’s creating the notion that women who are like men — more logical and practical in their leadership style — aren’t effective if they aren’t what they’re supposed to be.

I’ve experienced this firsthand as an American of Nepali heritage who grew up in Japan. I’ve been called “aggressive” or “too loud” by my Nepali uncles. Not to mention, seeing my mom and my aunties mocked as not being “lady-like.”

Everyone around them brushed it off as a funny joke when in reality, it’s sexism disguised as humor. A woman can be more compassionate than men — true, but that shouldn’t be the reason they’re promoted to higher leadership positions.

Compassion is just one of the many qualities of a woman leader. We’re also passionate, brave, and effective.

I would understand if Dalai Lama recognized his internalized misogyny and didn’t repeat his mistakes. But despite the controversy, he has repeatedly made the same jokes over and over again, which gives me doubt as to whether he respects women at all.

Females make up 50% of the world, yet the vast majority of leadership positions are held by men.

Given that patriarchy is all around us, including in religions, which is a powerful entity in itself, it’s crucial that Dalai Lama shed his internalized misogyny or at least acknowledge his mistakes and stop repeating them.