Topless Protest Attracts Attention in France!
Femen, the Ukrainian born feminist movement, descended on the French capital last week to strip off and make their voices heard. The group, who are widely known for their anti-patriarchal views and strong feminist beliefs, took to the streets of Paris in order to spread their message and inspire new followers.
The collective began in Kiev, Ukraine in 2008, and soon became internationally recognised for their topless protests against many topics; sexism, religion and the dictatorship of men, to name just a few. While some of the Femen collective demonstrate fully clothed, many like to write provocative slogans on their bare torsos to fully express themselves and attract attention.
Most of the group are young females from Ukraine, although there are also a handful of male members. They all share the same ideals and believe that creating controversy with their topless marches will help encourage other young liberals to join their plight. Whilst in Paris, they adopted slogans in the French language in order to be able to completely communicate with the many members of the public they encountered.
Femen have received a great deal of criticism, not just for their far left wing beliefs, but also because of their general approach. Many separate protest groups have condemned their use of nudity whilst others have expressed anger at their demonstrative actions. Requests have even been made to the Justice Ministry of Ukraine to have them banned as an organised movement after various bouts of vandalism against religious property. They were labelled a danger to society and at points some members have been incarcerated by the state.
Regardless of the reaction they receive, which is largely negative from all sides in Ukraine, Femen continue to take off their clothes, protest in the streets and occasionally attack members of the clergy. Check out their Facebook page to get their full story and check out the latest places you can strip and shout along with them!
Yes, the pendulum does have to swing to the extremes before finding a middle range. Interesting that nudity as a form of self-expression is condemned, while using weapons and waging war is not….
Couldn’t agree with you more
I walked in on a bunch of men watching an American football game three days ago and players on both teams were displaying in various places on their uniforms swatches of pink cloth. I asked if it was in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness. One of the men said without a trace of humor, “just Breast Awareness” My response to this was, “Oh, I’m VERY aware of breasts, but I think this must be about something a little less prurient, don’t you?” And then I winked.
Look, thanks for the “likes” on “Tom” and “George” in Closing Remarks. I would like to subscribe to your sire here, but can’t seem to locate a link.
Thanks for checking out our site, you can find a follow link on the bottom right hand corner.
Hi tq following my blog, now I’ve moved to a new blog. maybe you can take some time to visit my new blog http://www.akmaomar.com/perniagaan-internet-di-malaysia/
And thanks to you for checking out Words Fusion, I’ll be sure to drop by your new blog too!
Only in France! I’m going to have to go back one of these days. The women’s rights movement is certainly more interesting over there.
Only in Ukraine, to be more accurate; then extrapolated to France.
Still, it’s a pretty interesting story, definitely a fascinating way to grab people’s attention! (France is also one of the amazing countries on my must-go-soon list!)
I’m impressed to see such original activism in both countries and yes, definitely a great way to get attention.
Thanks to both of you for checking out Words Fusion!
Good post! I agree with Margarita, it’s an expression with nudity, which is better than some other violent forums. The girls are painted and if you look around at other events, many paint themselves the same way. And nothing is ever said.
Very true
Thanks for following my blog. Keep reading to find out more about South Africa and please let me know if you’d like any information on stuff going on in Cape Town. Would love to contribute to this blog.
http://shantarella.wordpress.com
Hey Shantarella, we’re always open to publishing guest posts so please do get in touch if you would like to share some content! You can reach me at natalie@quicklingo.com
Thanks for visiting!
I agree with petit4. Men shoot each other over petty matters, go to war for half-formed beliefs and their governing structures have created mass poverty and untold suffering. Whether you enjoy breasts or not, it seems a far better way of trying to get your point across than shooting people who disagree.
Imagine if a similar response had been made to the “Mohamed mocking youtube film”, instead of yelling Fatwah and killing innocent people… I for one would have more respect for Islam!
Ha I’d have to agree with you there, peaceful protests with the inclusion breasts….definitely the way forward
“Most of the group are young females from Ukraine, although there are also a handful of male members.” Such an excellent choice of words. I wish I had such a mastery of English language