Tits oot fer the lads! A political protest by the PHWOAR! Party
Femen, a Ukrainian radical feminist movement, is fighting against patriarchy, in its three manifestations: sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion
. They accomplish this by radically protesting while topless, which has got to hurt during the Ukrainian winter.
Their protests have apparently had more impact in the West than in their home country. I can't imagine why. No, really I can't.
During Euro 2012, Femen targeted English football fans with their protests against the sex industry. I'm sure that their protest was fully appreciated by their audience, who were left with a deep understanding of its underlying sociopolitical message. Oh yes, indeed.
A BBC News reader commented:
Protesting topless is exactly the right tactic for these courageous young women. It highlights an obvious discrimination between men and women - men protesting without a shirt on would be ignored - FEMEN cleverly use this silly and outdated discrimination to get publicity for their just cause worldwide.
I couldn't have put it better myself, Chris. And just think how much more effective their protests would be if they were completely nekkid!
In all honesty, I really have no idea whether they're serious, having a laugh, or are just attention whores out for publicity. If they're serious, and truly aim to improve the sociopolitical status of Ukrainian women, I can't help but think that they'd be more effective if their slogans were intelligible to the local populace, i.e. not in English.
