Emily
MikeA feminist group (FEMEN) in the Ukraine has staged a number of events to raise awareness of women’s rights. Many of the events have included taking off some of their clothes. (See also this article from the Kyiv Post.) Most recently, a group of four women from FEMEN entered an election site in Kieve (Kyiv) to protest the failure of the candidates in the campaign to address the issues of unequal pay and maternal leave. The article describes what happened when the FEMEN members entered the election site:
Almost demurely, the four stepped across the melting slush to a clearing in front of the tables used by election officials to unveil — as the protestors later explained — an unconventional attack on Ukrainian “politics-as-usual.”
Defying Ukraine’s current brutally cold weather, the women threw their winter coats to the floor. They were naked from the waist up bar bits of blue tape crossing their nipples, surprised onlookers noted.
Polling site workers milled around, and voters stared, as the feminist group FEMEN members then unveiled hidden placards reading “The last day of Democracy!,” “Don’t sell your vote!,” and “Don’t be a slut!”
“The politicians are raping us!” one yelled, as she shook off a security man attempting — unsuccessfully — to put an end to the noisy, but peaceful protest.
Still naked but for low-cut trousers stuffed into their stiletto heels or cowboy boots, the demonstrators next took their protest outside, to shout insults at the powers-that-be from the union hall steps.
The women were later arrested, but they had accomplished what they set out to do. Tatiana Kozak, FEMEN’s founder and spokeswoman, said that “[a]ll in all, it went very well. We drew attention to ourselves and our cause, and that is the point.” She also said: ““We have a simple approach: our only weapon is beauty. If we stand around holding posters we are just going to be ignored. Our politicians must pay attention to these issues, and we will do what it takes to force them to do it.”
In October, FEMEN had protested against parliament’s failure to enact a law criminalizing the purchase of a prostitute’s services, even though a person who uses a prostitute’s services is not a criminal act.
And, in November, FEMEN had worn underwear made from hospital masks on Independence Square in Kiev as part of a protest against the politicization of the flu epidemic.
Other FEMEN protests, “all featuring scantily-clad young women in provocative costumes,” have targeted Ukraine’s sex tourist industry and corruption in Ukraine’s political leadership. Their tactics included a demonstration in Kiev’s central square, where six women in bikinis wrestled on a plastic sheet covered with mud.
As the article says, “Some observers are shocked, a few are scandalized, and some Ukrainian feminists have even called the tactic frivolous and harmful to their cause.” But here’s my question. In the United States, many feminists are completely against PETA’s anti-fur advertising campaigns that feature mostly naked women. (See these previous posts on PETA (here and here).) Is there any difference between how the FEMEN group removes some of their clothes in order to bring attention to women’s rights issues and what PETA does in its anti-fur campaign? Or, approaching it from the other direction, is it sexist for FEMEN to use partial nudity to promote its women’s rights causes?
What do you think?
Filed under: International, Politics Tagged: | FEMEN, Ukraine
I must stress that FEMEN is NOT a feminist group. In their interviews they deny that they are “feminists”. They are just scandal group that is funded by some political party (don’t remember which one, nor do I care). Paradoxically they do NOT deny this fact during interviews, they actually were stupid enough to confess it.
So its just a bunch of naked women (take notice that they all are very young and conventionally “pretty”) who are exploited by some male politicians for promotion purposes. In reality it is WORSE than PETA, IMHO.
Not all their campaigns sound like feminist agenda, recently they gone naked to protest low Ukranian performance during Olympics. And really… getting naked to protest against sex tourism?! And TRAFFIKING?
That’s very disappointing to hear about the group being controlled by male politicians. And I agree that not all of their protests are about “feminist agenda.” But I didn’t find anything about male political control while doing web searches. It would seem strange for male politicians to use FEMEN as a tactic, especially since the protests are pro-woman.
I did see an interview with Anna Gutsol, the leader of FEMEN, in which she says FEMEN is not a feminist organization. Her answer to the question of “Would you describe yourselves as a feminist organization?” was “No. We use eroticism in our approach and our dress. That’s not sanctioned by feminism.” But it seems to me that almost everything else she says—and also what is said on what appears to be FEMEN’s web site is not inconsistent with feminist principles. For example, when asked to describe the organization, she answers:
She also says: “I believe that women must be educated about their rights, which is what FEMEN is all about.”
So it seems to me that, were it not for their tactics and dress, many (most?) would consider FEMEN a feminist group. Just like PETA, the question is whether the tactics are so anti-feminist that it completely erodes the group’s legitimacy. A.Y. Siu provides below her opinion on that.
I think there is a difference, however slight, between Our politicians must pay attention to these issues, and we will do what it takes to force them to do it and We believe that people should have the choice to use their bodies to make a political statement.
The general attitude of PETA seems to be “So what? We exploit the objectification of women’s bodies. It’s empowering. It’s our choice.” From what you’ve posted here, the attitude of FEMEN seems to be “We wouldn’t ordinarily do this, but since this is the only way you’ll actually pay attention, okay…”
The difference is only very slight, but it has mainly to do with attitude.
Also, while there is something a little sexually provocative about scantily clad women striking confident poses, underwear made from hospital masks is also off-putting, and I believe that’s the point. They want to be provocative but also jarring.
The PETA ads seem to buy completely into stereotypical notions of male desire and the commodification of the female body. There is very little subversive (from a feminist point of view) about PETA ads.