I have done many things in my life that have helped to shape who I am and how I view my time on this planet. The most rewarding thing I’ve done is be a father to two awesome girls, one being two years old and the other 20 years old. Knowing that my oldest identifies herself as a feminist and is down to fight for the rights of all humanity makes me proud. It’s freaks me out how many men are born from women, but harbor endless amounts of anger towards them. Just like many ideologies in the world, there are are different forms of feminism, some more radical than others. Vice just put out a moving documentary about the FEMEN movement in France, and their struggle against the French Nationalist racist assholes. The fight is on, so stand up for the rights of the OPPRESSED…I refuse to raise my daughters to be weak and ashamed of themselves! Where do you stand?
Bruce
July 1, 2013 at 1:35 pm
It’s funny how everbody is talking about Vice these days while condemning Fox News. Vice is the Fox News of documentaries. Lots of sensationalism and shock value. They are both to be ignored.
Ian Henry
July 2, 2013 at 8:26 am
Your comparison to fox is a bit ridiculous. VICE is a media outfit for entertainment. So yes, they’re documentaries will often presented in an entertaining way. And in the case of this one they left out the controversy surrounding monetary issues with Femen. But it is so absolutely different from fox. Fox is a giant fucking media conglomerate that would never cover anything like this. It would probably cover an anti-feminist rally with praise before covering anything remotely about womens rights. Fox sits back and spouts non-sense fluff as a way to control the masses. VICE may push an entertainment value onto all of their pieces, but they really cover stuff that would not get any real media attention. Did you see their piece on Liberian child soldiers generals?
Hugoboy Lucas James
July 1, 2013 at 2:49 am
don’t be deceived by that movement, I’m french and I assure you these girls are just an embarassment for the real feminists, they’re just running around half naked screaming hysterically with dumb slogan written on their chest, they are not able to explain any of their motivations, which are very obscure btw, the worst thing is, you’ll never see a “fat” women among their ranks, they are all top model-shaped like, it’s a pity for a movement which pretend to be feminist. Moreover, they’re are all getting paid by an obscure businessman, and the huge media covering they get shows that they are not here by chance but to serve a purpose that is useful to those very media. If they were really revolutionnary they would be a pain in the ass for them, and that is obviously not the case. they KNOW that when you’re fighting the neo-nazi you’ll never be criticized, it’s so easy to get victimized and they know that too well. I’m not saying it’s not a good thing to get the media attention to communicate a message but here, they do not have any message. Please don’t fall into this masquerade, they are hurting the real cause of feminists and that’s a shame. They are not COOL, they manipulates the public opinion but it’s a mean that doesn’t lead to any end, it’s just some kind of social chaos and that just confuses people’s mind, making them feel like they have convictions in all safetiness, because you won’t see femen on the front, you’ll just see them on the cover of magazines.
Pierre Berthier
July 1, 2013 at 1:04 pm
I fully agree, I’m also french, I share your feelings about this movement, they are destroying in a few weeks decades of efforts.
CVLT Nation
July 1, 2013 at 1:05 pm
As a woman and a feminist, I don’t feel that Femen hurt the cause of feminism. Many men either choose not to or just don’t understand the deep shame women have been taught to feel about their bodies and their sexuality, and I admire the Femen for taking a stance that confronts patriarchy in a social, sexual and religious way. The image of feminism seems as inextricably tied to patriarchal ideals of womanhood today as it ever has been – ie cover up and be modest – and the chaos Femen is able to cause by flouting that is proof. It is interesting, and telling, that other groups who would protest things like national socialism or anti-gay marriage rallys are not subject to the same scrutiny when it comes to how they present themselves. I am not surprised that there are many rumours trying to discredit them – this is run of the mill for activist groups, and I am skeptical of the validity of those rumours. From what I can see from the Facebook comments on this post, the Femen have created quite a stir among men who are uncomfortable with the way they present themselves, the same men who probably walk by American Apparel billboards without blinking. I think they have achieved their goal!
Eli
July 1, 2013 at 1:24 pm
I think the larger issue with Femen is their brand of feminism in relation to other groups that they impact and purport to fight for, such as Muslim women. The whole “topless jihad” action and the idea of freeing Muslim women of their own “oppressive” personal belief system is steeped in Orientalism and rampant islamophobia in Western culture. These kinds of ideas serve to stoke the fires of hatred toward Muslim communities by playing into the exhausting trope that Muslim women are inherently oppressed by their religion. Femen’s brand of feminism isn’t inherently wrong (and it has definitely sparked conversation about radical feminism and tactics around protest) but when it begins dictating what is and isn’t okay in different communities that are culturally and socially different than Femen, it runs into lots of trouble.
CVLT Nation
July 1, 2013 at 1:50 pm
But I saw them also targeting Christianity, The Pope, Catholicism…they are not only confronting Islam. Also, there are many Muslim women who don’t believe the veil should be forced on women (at least one of whom is a member of Femen), especially since the veil was not at the root of Islam in the first place, whereas women’s equality to men was. Women’s equality is certainly not in practice in many Muslim countries and communities today, just as in many Christian countries and communities you see major disparities in the way women and men are expected to behave (Steubenville happened in a deeply Christian community). Like all other major religions in this world, Islam has had the rules written by men for centuries. Christianity is equally guilty, and I see Femen also targeting its sexist double standards.
Eli
July 1, 2013 at 2:06 pm
There’s misogyny and patriarchal standards around the world, and shouldn’t the way to address that be in the hands of the people who are a part of those communities? Doesn’t it make more sense for Muslim, Christian or x religious feminists to deal with sexism in their own cultures, or support them in that endeavor, instead of imposing rules, standards, ideologies and rhetoric that may not fit in the respective communities? Saying things like “is being the best of 5 wives in harem freedom?” and demanding Muslim women to take off their hijab in solidarity, regardless of personal views, is plain racist and stereotypical, and Femen has dangerously ignored critique and responses from Muslim women in a fashion that is colonialist at it’s heart. Ignoring voices of oppressed people, especially women who come from countries impacted by colonialism, is from the same current that is steeped in imperialism and racism.
Hugoboy Lucas James
July 2, 2013 at 3:35 am
First of all, I know there is a lot of men who are blind to women’s problems and situation and I don’t think I am one of these, I know men and women are not equal, that there is little and big injustices digging a huge gap between them each and every day and that it is something that has to stop. And of course, I know that our era is build upon patriarcal values, but where you are wrong here is when you say that Femen are taking a stance confronting the patriarchy, because they are not, they are walking hands in hands with that system and are operating under its will. What kind of feminists are arguing that the women among their ranks are globally pretty and in very good shape (meaning they can’t have “fat” women among them) because this is the only way they can assume their image and body in front of the critics and violence ? These feminists are sexist, great.
“I am not surprised that there are many rumours trying to discredit them”
These are not rumors, these are the TRUTH. a russian journalist (a woman, of course) infiltrated FEMEN to see what was going on from the inside, and she came back of her journey with some interesting informations, like the fact that they are paid 1000$ a month, which is a triple time more than the average salary in Ukraine. But overall, if there is only one thing to retain about this, it is the fact that, if a movement like FEMEN was really against this all-patriarcal society, would they have a media coverage that HUGE ? No, of course. They are where they are, because the media tolerate it, because they serve their interests, they gave them thrashy pictures, scandals, etc, but after that, nothing, because they don’t know what they are fighting for AND against, and that’s very sad, they are weakening feminism and a lot of people don’t realize it.
To end my post I would like to comment your last sentences, that are full of irony and random generalization, I am not uncomfortable with these women, they are not taking my comforting power of manliness away with their “actions”, I’m just outraged that women today, are ok with these girls representing them, these girls are caricatures, they have taken all profoundness of the woman’s mind away, because if their idea of feminism is about image, all people see is a bunch of half naked girl screaming unintelligent slogan, and that’s a shame.
And concerning the AA billboards, I’m glad we don’t have these, I think these are really lame, but as much on the side of the people who put these ad up as the girls modeling for these.