protest movement full of bra-less women was
a guy's idea of liberal democracy.
This is about Femen, the group out of the Ukraine
that has made some quite startling, prescient attacks
on stiffs, like Putin, with their jubblies out.
remember, in British pronunciation:
Femen & "for men"
sound almost the same
For me, the best part of Femen so far has been
their training videos. They're so earnest about their protesting
skills, and that's so cute.
[the French brigade. Un deux trois, fous toi]
[the Ukraine company, the Bravo Chicks]
[Equal time: for the more militarily-minded cheesecake]
Apparently the group is run by a man, Victor Svyatski.
To cut a long story short, he feels that he has to lead
these pretty girls, because they lack strength.
He calls them "bitches" and "submissive" and "spineless".
That's why they can't protest that slavedriver. They feel
compelled to do what he says.
He has his redeeming qualities, though.
That's why they can't protest that slavedriver. They feel
compelled to do what he says.
He has his redeeming qualities, though.
It was his idea to make sure they were all beautiful.
no fat chicks on the front line
["See, boys. No more than a handful. This is how we check for lumps"
The Anti-Cancer Protest]
The Anti-Cancer Protest]
Perhaps ugly chicks should protest Svyatski,
by hanging their flabby asses out at him. THAT, I'd watch.
by hanging their flabby asses out at him. THAT, I'd watch.
I like the way patriarchal types hate naked women.
I guess historically, clothing was designed to let
old sexless people conduct their business in public
without being shocked, or heaven-forbid, turned on.
That's the message of consumerism. Just buy stuff.
You want nakedness? Buy porn. Buy it off the Internet,
at home.
at home.
more later
checkit: theguardian.com
The allegation that Victor Svyatski acts as a svengali to attractive women in the Ukrainian feminist group is depressing news
Bim Adewunmi
Wednesday 4 September 2013 14.33 BST
Jump to comments (475)
In June 2011, it was revealed that Amina Abdallah Araf – the woman behind the A Gay Girl in Damascus blog – did not exist. The person behind it was revealed to be an American student at Edinburgh University, Tom McMaster. The disappointment was palpable; authenticity – on the web, and elsewhere – is a prized attribute, and when it is eroded, people understandably get angry.
Now Australian film-maker Kitty Green has named Victor Svyatski as the wizard behind the curtain of Ukrainian feminist group Femen. Green alleges that Svyatski not only supports the group, as Femen had previously acknowledged, but actually founded the organisation, as well hand-selecting the "prettiest girls" for their topless protests. Love or loathe Femen – and it is no secret that I am no fan of theirs – this is plain depressing.
For the documentary, Ukraine Is Not a Brothel, which is being shown at the Venice film festival, Green recorded an interview with Svyatski in which he acknowledges he may have started the group to meet women. His reply is a masterclass in how to cop out: "Perhaps yes, somewhere in my deep subconscious."
Did we guess that something might have been going on? The clues were there. Topless protests featuring mostly skinny, "pretty" European women. The slogans: "Our mission is protest, our weapons are bare breasts", "Nudity is liberty" and "Better naked than in a burqa", gave off an unpleasant stench but didn't necessarily point to a male svengali figure in the background.
Women have proven themselves to be just as capable of insensitivity and bullish action: asking for a "topless jihad" could have easily been the idea of a man or woman. And the aggression and ferocity of their protests did not automatically raise red flags – aggression is not the sole preserve of men, and women have a lot to be angry about. (Have a read of the @EverydaySexism Twitter feed if you don't believe me).
The Independent reports that Inna Shevchenko, the lead campaigner of the group, will be attending the premiere of the film at Venice today, along with other members of Femen. This seems a little fishy. How real is this story? Femen have been incredibly adroit users of the media – is this yet another way of gaining attention for their next campaign? It's more than a little worrying that some people think Femen capable of these machinations, rather than seeing them for their primary objective: being a credible feminist protest group looking to effect change.
If it is true, there emerges an over-arching Charlie's Angels narrative of the male impresario and the young women who need a guiding hand. It is a potent trope – we respond to it even as we rail against it. It persists in hip-hop, for example, where women rappers are routinely accused of being ghost written by men, and also in pop: from Phil Spector and the Ronettes to Simon Cowell and his X Factor empire.
In Green's film, Svyatski talks of the campaigners needing a firm hand as they lack strength of character – and he is the one who will teach it to them. "They show submissiveness, spinelessness, lack of punctuality, and many other factors which prevent them from becoming political activists. These are qualities which it was essential to teach them."
No one is saying men can't be involved in the feminist struggle. Allies are an important component in the march towards equality But if you have friends like this, who needs enemies?
