Political ideologies
After you have read the article, leave a reply in the comment box focusing on some of the following questions;
- Is this an effective form of protest? If so why?
- How could it be justified as part of the feminist tradition?
- Why do you think they used such a controversial style of protest?
- Do they contribute to the exploitation of women’s bodies in the media, rather than critiquing it?
- Do their methods obscure their message?
Yes, I would have to argue that this is an effective form of protest, but effective in gaining publicity. It can be argued that people are more interested in their controversial methods as opposed to their actual beliefs. Primarily as it is different, interesting and it makes for a good read. Thus some people may care more about the way they portray their message than the actual message itself. It can be said that they act so controversially as it is an excellent way to make yourself known and get your message out there for people to hear, However it can also be argued that this is an extremely effective way in achieving self promotion. It can indeed be said that their methods obscure their message as they are arguably exploiting themselves to promote said message - Disraeli
ReplyDeleteInteresting points, though you do seem to argue for both sides! Be brave, take a position & back up your points!
ReplyDelete1) The use of international protest can be seen to be effective. This is because it helps promote the ideology to a large amount of people with varying views, thus increasing the chances of obtaining support. Also, by gaining international support the movement can expand.
ReplyDeleteThe use of direct action, more specifically in the form of topless protests, can also be argued to be effective as it gains media and general public attention as well as making a bold statement. That said, it could be argued that the use of topless protests may hinder the Femen movement as it may insult some women, as well as insult the general public and in turn create hostility towards the movement. To add to this, the places where these protests take place, for example churches, are important places for those people who follow a certain religion, and therefore these actions may insult them. As stated in the article, the use of topless protests may in fact obscure the message being promoted. Therefore, although an effective method of gaining attention, the use of topless protests may increase opposition towards the movement, and therefore this may not be the most effective form of protest.
2) The Femen movement can be justified as being part of the radical feminist tradition. Their main aim is to fight patriarchy in its three manifestations — sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion. Radical feminists focus on the patriarchal roots of inequality and see the oppression of women as the key social division within society. Therefore it can be seen that there is a clear agreement between them in the sense that they object to the exploitation and subordination of women, however the Femen movement also looks at the broader society, especially attacking religions such as Islam by going against the wearing of the burqa and the practice of female genital mutilation. However, ultimately they both oppose patriarchy and therefore the Femen movement can be considered to be part of the feminist tradition. Finally, Inna Schevchenco, who founded the Paris branch of Femen states that “We have the same ideas as the classical feminists, what is different is the form of fight”, and therefore they have the same ends with different means, which is a similar case in other ideologies such as socialism, with Marxism and Fabianism having very different approaches to gaing the final goal of a stateless and classless society.
3) The movement may use such controversial styles of protests in order to gain public/media and political attention. Furthermore, it sends out a bold statement and shows their commitment. Furthermore, by doing this they make their “sexuality politicized and their bodies are used to demonstrate against the moral scrutiny that women can be subjected to”, and therefore they automatically gain political status and are viewed as a political movement, possibly making their ideas more appealing and legitimate.
4) Yes, as by publically exposing themselves they open the door for media criticism. However, the media doing this further strengthens their argument by showing the exploitation of women. That said, by doing such extreme methods of protests they may encourage criticism and exploitation from the media.
Their methods do obscure their message as by exposing themselves they are almost promoting their bodies in the way that they have been exploited, and by doing such extreme methods they may blur their message, making the movement less political and too radical to appeal to the mass population. Also their methods do not necessarily promote a clear message.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
You make some excellent, well made & clever points Mr Proudhon. Should we also consider the elitist nature of the protests? Not only does it seem to pander to those that objectify women's bodies but also it is a form of protest that most will not feel comfortable taking part in. Therefore its unlikely to become a mass movement.
DeleteI think Femen is a prefect example of this new wave of feminism and is justified as part of the feminist tradition. Although, their methods may be seen as controversial by some, it is an effective way to gain publicity for issues that might otherwise of not gained such a global platform without this direct action. It is always difficult try to change something that is seen as part of a culture or religion and must have lead to growing frustration causing as some would put it 'drastic' actions as they feel something had to be done and I agree. For example, the profile FGM as a serious problem facing women today has risen considerably over the last ten of years though actions like this. It shows Femen passion and commitment to the cause and doesn't obscure their message.
ReplyDeleteWell argued Angela Merkel
DeleteI admire this organisation on multiple levels and I'm glad that someone is making a visible stand for women's rights. However I do not believe their methods are effective. I think that their use of nudity simply alienates many men and women (me excluded, mind you), some of them fairly liberal minded, by its challenging of cultural taboo. Although I understand that the stigmatization of female nudity feeds into the very things Femen stand against I think that they could only ever achieve anything of substantial worth as a mass movement, a status that by its methods it denies itself. Until it makes moves towards mass education and a more eclectic choice of protest it cannot become a mass movement powerful enough to challenge these sexist institutions of, say, religion and government. In other words it is too radical to become a popular force but not radical enough to coerce these institutions into changing. Although it has garnered substantial publicity the message behind the (to many) shocking protests is obscured. Ultimately I remain unconvinced that getting topless is enough to destroy a millenia-old prejudice.
ReplyDeleteWell argued but what kind of movement is needed in its place? (remember to include your nom de plume)
DeleteOne that makes moves towards mass education and a more universally palatable choice of protest.
DeleteI believe that this is an effective way of gaining publicity as there are few better ways to make the headlines than radical or extreme action, in this case partial nudity. However the message is often then warped or hidden by the media, often having a negative effect, leading to judgement which alienates the group from the audience that they are trying to reach. Therefore they are inadvertently leading to further objectivity of women because the judgement and critique by the media will only impose further restrictions, expectations or fears on other women, as their sexuality will be, effectively, demonised. It can be justified as a part of feminist traditions as they are taking control of their bodies, deciding what they want to do with them and for what purpose. Any form of expression is justified, especially when the context behind the movement is so tragic.
ReplyDeleteFair point Emma Goldman, but is it possible to win women's liberation & if so what kind of movement is post likely to achieve that?
Delete1) I think this is an effective form of protsest as it seems to have grabbed people's attention whereas other more straightforward protests may not have. Which makes it quite saddening that they have to go to this extreme in order to gain attention
ReplyDelete2) This can be justified as part of the feminist tradition beacuse ultimately its has the same core theme as any other feminist movement
3) 'Theres no such thing as bad publicity' springs to mind here. They do this to get attention and it seems to have worked
4) I think unintentionally they have attributed to the exploitation of women's bodies because they have become labelled as the topless group rather than by their good intentions for feminism
5) Yes like I said before they are more famous for their methods than their message
You must leave you nom de plume!
DeleteFemen is an effective movement because it has gained global attention without causing large scale damage whilst being more unique compared to other forms of protest. The movement can be justified to be part of feminist tradition because it aims to defeat the patriarchal themes in society which may limit female autonomy. Femen have used a controversial method in order to gain attention. If people listen to the movement then it can be seen as a success no matter how controversial it is. However,it can be argued despite trying to help break down disadvantages to woman in society this topless protest has further reinforced the exploitation of woman in society and how they have to use this form of protest to gain attention. There message is obscure because in trying to reduce female exploitation they have become more well known for their protest rather than their message.
ReplyDeleteGordon Brown
I think that the form of protest is effective in the sense that it grabs peoples attention and is of course fundamentally different to most forms of protest. However they protest in a less than civilized way and for this reason I struggle to see how they can be taken seriously. In doing these protests yes it brings attention to the issues but in doing so they have caused more problems than they have solved as Muslim Women around the world have spoke out against their actions and see the protest as insulting, this then shows its less than an effective way to protest. Yes it gets attention/media coverage but I see it as more focused on self promotion than gaining any real reform
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that this is not an affective form of protest when acknowledging that the reason for their unrelenting thirst for publicity is supposedly seeking to change society, and make the place of women – at the top table, alongside men, in equality – a reality. However, their execution evidently leaves much to be desired. Their use of direct action in the form of taking their tops off in public has certainly grabbed much media attention.
ReplyDeleteThough Femen’s imperialist "one size fits all" attitude shows a deafening inconsistency in their own ideology, not to mention its overwhelming hypocrisy as they seem to be saying, “Your bodies are your own – do with them what you will! Except you over there in the headscarf. You should be topless.” It simply doesn't work like that.
Sadly, this is a problem that affects many movements in the modern day who are only prepared to wave the flag of equality on their terms and when it suits them.
Boris Jonson
I do not think that the way that Femen conduct is protest is particularly effective. Mostly because their messages don't seem to convey any messages other than obvious anger and discontent. I don't think that this extreme form of direct action necessarily obtains the respectability that a movement needs in order to gain greater traction. It could easily be considered part of the feminist tradition because it has the same goal of achieving equality for women, accept through particularly extreme methods.
ReplyDeleteI think they use such a controversial style of protest because of the origin of the movement and its attempts to achieve global recognition. The movement started in Ukraine and largely protests against radical religious groups and authoritarian governments. Because of this the group faces more extreme forms of sexism and needs to conduct said controversial protests in order to highlight the oppression of women. I do not think that they contribute to the exploitation of women's bodies in the media however, I do not feel that they really highlight the issue either. Their message is not particularly clear and the way that they protest is unlikely to achieve them the their goal. I doubt that religious or authoritarian leaders will change their opinions on gender equality or the LGBT movement if Femen undertake direct action, as was demonstrated by Mr Putin.
To preface this argument, I wish to say that I entirely support feminism and appreciate that the role of the patriarchy within today's society is one that we should not be proud of. However, Femen is not effective or the way forward. Before I explore the inherent flaws within their methods, I wish to highlight some aspects of their organisation that weren't touched upon in the article. Firstly, their founder and ex-leader is a man called Victor Svyatski. There is a certain hypocrisy to a movement that demands to rid the world of the patriarchy and emphasise the power of women, being run by a man who ran the organisation autocratically with very little input from women. Secondly, the peacefulness of the activists must be questioned as they have been accused of threatening policemen with knives as well as having a pistol and grenade in their possession. Of course, these allegations are on shaky grounds as it came from the Ukrainian police who were hardly paragons of virtue however this doesn't necessarily make them false.
ReplyDeleteThough the movement's hypocrisy and violence are noteworthy, their methods are also worth discussing. In my eyes, it is inconceivable that the church will change their views or the government will change their policy or sex tourism will ground to a halt just because 50 odd women got semi-naked. It's ridiculous. There are many charities that make efforts to redress the imbalance created by the patriarchy and their efforts and campaigns are entirely overshadowed by the shallow efforts to create controversy by Femen. If you care about sex tourism, feel free to donate to www.equalitynow.org which targets sex tourism among other important issues. If you care about the church's view on a topic, lobby and protest the government into making changes like they have done with gay marriage. If you care about the patriarchy within the government, join a protest group that can enact change in a mature and meaningful way instead of one that relies on spectacle.
Femen with its overshadowing of organisations that can actually make a difference, is not effective because it hinders the feminist movement more than it helps it.