Mila Kunis honored as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Harvard's all-male Hasty Pudding Theatricals group honored actor Mila Kunis as its 2018 Woman of the Year on Thursday.

The Bad Moms star and That '70s Show alum was paraded down the streets of Cambridge, Mass., in a Bentley convertible surrounded by members of the Ivy League theatrical group dressed in drag.

Following the parade, Kunis, 34, took part in a roast by the club's members and was presented with a pudding pot as the 68th recipient of the honor.

The celebration was met with protests as some called for Kunis to deny the award, boycott the events or speak out against Hasty Pudding's policy of excluding female performers.

Women held signs reading "Take your misogyny and shove it up your farkass" and "The patriarchy is a drag" in reference to the club's tradition of featuring male performers in drag.

Hasty Pudding Theatricals, founded in 1795, is the oldest collegiate theater group in the United States and said its longstanding tradition of casting men in women's roles is an artistic decision.

"Men in women's roles is the Hasty Pudding's artistic trademark and its artistic merit comes from the fact that it challenges traditional perceptions of masculinity. This brand of parody and satire is what makes the Pudding unique," the group's website states.

Women on campus have auditioned for the group three times in recent years and none ever received a callback, according to the Harvard Crimson.

Following the ceremony for Kunis, Pudding President Amira T. Weeks said the group would permit women to audition in 2019.

"With no further fanfare, the graduate board of the Hasty Pudding Institute has determined that commencing with the 2019 Hasty Pudding Show, the Hasty Pudding welcomes women to audition," Weeks said.