Is this protest only by photogenic women or the editorial have focused only on pictures of hot women?

<p>The Atlantic has reported on Ukranian feminist group Femen staging a 'topless Jihad' in support of the Tunisian activist Amina who had been severely persecuted in Tunisia and awaiting trial. I am just wondering if al members of this group are 'hot' and perhaps that is a pre-requisite to joining the group? Or do we have a case of editors concentrating on the pictures of the attractive topless women rather than plain Jane's?<br>

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/04/femen-stages-a-topless-jihad/100487/</p>

I hope that, despite your preoccupation with ugly vs pretty naked women, you still noticed that this form of protest works very well as far as getting attention is concerned.<br>But i would certainly bet against you also really taking note of what the protest is about.<br>Yeah, yeah, you dutifully put a few words together about that, get it out of the way so you can get to the stuff that apparently moves you more: 'are we missing photos of more pretty naked women, or are the ones not shown not worth looking at?'<br>Was that really something you wanted to put on the internet, for all to read?

<p>1. You must be married because that warps perception of 'hotness'.</p>

<p>2. Nobody wants to see pix of ugly fat people, be it male or female. Ever see some of the pix taken at various San Francisco events? There isn't enough bleach I could put in my eyes to erase that scarring.</p>

<p>3. Relatively speaking, European women are 'hotter' than their 'doughy' American counterparts.</p>

<p>Interesting take there Howard. I wasn't aware there were any "American" women here. Every state I've been to has been pretty different, including the people. Didn't see many doughy people in Miami my last visit. Being married has yet to warp my perceptions, although it certainly has given me some insight to women. Some.</p>

<p>I've often wondered the same thing Starvy. I suppose women would be more interested in a topless display of some hunky guys rather than their neighbors dads too. In something as primitive as desire and politics, image is king. For me, categories like ugly and pretty are undesirably limited views. It's all in the eye of the beholder. That beauty that betrayed me is one of the least desirable women I have ever known, and the one who loves me is a goddess. Besides, as a straight man, I have the same lofty criteria as any other when it comes to who is desirable. They have t be A- breathing, and B-female. In a pinch, one of those may be negotiable. Anyone who tells you differently has never sat in a bar drunk at 2 am. </p>

<p>Wow. Just wow. This discussion has gone south faster than any ever. Nobody realises this is a public place? That you're not in the men's room of that bar at 2:30am trying to act cool after she threw a beer in your face?<br>

Q.G., too bad your attempt was in vein - this story has a lot more meat to it than just drooling over some Ukranian women, but really....we're just too busy being drunk and uttering generalisations....</p>

<p>Pathetic, really.</p>

<p>As a means to an end, this story if quite powerful. Women demanding the right to express themselves against what they've been raised to do. Fighting against subjugation, oppression and misogyny. Here, in America, women burned their bras. This is somewhat similar in a sense, but the bigger picture is these women, all over Europe (this took place simultaneously in several countries) are fighting for their sister, Amina Tyler, standing up and making you take notice. </p>

They all seem to be trying to attract the attention of the (few) English speaking people in those countries. Maybe they think English speakers are the only ones cold blooded enough to actually look at the signs.

<p>Good lord! Coordinated attacks in six European cities with Weapons of Mass Lactation! Film at eleven!</p>

<p>Look, I don't want to downplay the risk to Amina Tyler. She is certainly at risk from Islamic ultra-conservatives, and should probably leave Tunisia. But, she's not in custody (yet) and has not been formally charged with a crime. She posted a nude image of herself on the internet and got the reaction she probably expected.</p>

<p>So, what this boils down to is that the Femen reaction was definitely overkill, and probably carries agendas other than support for Amina Tyler. Then, the <em>Atlantic</em> coverage overkilled the overkill. Wouldn't a succinct article accompanied by one or two photos (okay, maybe six photos) have done the job for professional journalism - if that still exists?</p>

<p>No demonstrations in the US? I guess our women are just too "doughy". Howard did you <em>really</em> look at some of those shots? ;-)</p>

<p>I think that Starvy raises a good point. This is not an "average" distribution of women, so the question comes up, how did this happen. Here in the US we have labor unions paying "protesters" to picket businesses that they have nothing to do with. I wonder if something like that occurred with these women.</p>

<p>I believe that it's important to know the motivations of the "protesters." Are the representing themselves or, like with some of those unions and some of the "Occupy Wall Street" crowd, they may be paid and doing it for the money. I would give more power and credit to protesters that are representing themselves.</p>

<p>Starvy, I think your question is answered in the "About" page of the blog:</p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>"In Focus is The Atlantic's news photography blog. Several times a week, I'll post entries featuring collections of images that tell a story. My goal is to use photography to do the kind of high-impact journalism readers have come to expect on other pages of this site. Along the way, I'll cover a range of subjects, from breaking news and historical topics to culture high and low. Sometimes, I'll just showcase amazing photography."</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/pages/about/">http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/pages/about/</a></p>

<blockquote>

<p><em><br />"I am just wondering if al members of this group are 'hot' and perhaps that is a pre-requisite to joining the group?"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>The formation and composition of the group might be related to Amina Tyler's age, 19, and her chosen method of protest for which she was persecuted:<br>

[<a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=Amina+Tyler&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=2d1eUc_aGvbK4APd1ICQDg&biw=1440&bih=813&sei=6N1eUb-eErTD4AOrjIGgAw">Link</a>]</p>

<p>This is a similar experience to going through the PN nudes section. It's often men commenting on the looks or bodies of the female models or subjects, just as often missing the photos themselves. Sometimes there's a basic confusion of subject and photo. (Often, the photographers of these nudes are playing right into this kind of sensibility, intentionally or not.)</p>

<p>As far as preferences for seeing desirable, hot, hunky, or attractive people, that's simply a matter of blind acceptance and adherence to what Madison Avenue tells us. Some good photographers direct our collective attention elsewhere instead of buying into such superficial notions of beauty or "hotness."</p>

<p><em>"I like to think of photographing as a two way act of respect. Respect for the medium, by letting it do what it does best, describe. And respect for the subject, by describing it as it is."</em> --Gary Winogrand</p>

<p>When I get a sense that a photo describes a person as they are, especially a documentary or photojournalistic photo, then I tend to think the photo has done its job. Finding someone's visual core is an act of beauty, no matter what they happen to look like.</p>

<p>I agree that there are too many pictures used in this article. And I find many of the pictures somewhat voyeuristic, which can work in some photographic situations and genres but doesn't work (for me) in this one. Context is not provided well, due to a lack of wider shots in preference for close-ups. They feel as much like model shots as like a documentary.</p>

<p>It's about time women rise up against Islamist oppression! These young women have a whole lot of courage. I don't know whether I'd have the courage to stand there with them, as I know there would be guys like the OP criticizing my somewhat doughier form. However, I'm with them in spirit!</p>

<p>It is obvious to me that some of the men in this thread skipped right past the text to the unusually ample spread of large pictures and could only read (if at all) to about chest height. I think the protestors would have gotten their message across better if they had written it all on their breasts and not elsewhere.</p>

<p>Among the more interesting things I noted: The language written on their bodies was mostly English and secondarily in French. The only Arabic was on a small picket sign. I suspect that's because their protest is mostly aimed at International consumption throughout the West. They apparently deem it futile to pitch their protest to Tunisia, and I presume they want the Western world to do something to further women's rights in Arab countries.</p>

<p>Too bad their message has largely failed to gain traction on this forum. I think it also failed to gain traction with The Atlantic -- only a single paragraph and 31 huge photos, only 5 of which didn't show breasts. Maybe doughier, more mature women like me really should be the ones screaming "F**k your morals!" Then they might have written a few more paragraphs, eh?</p>

<p>So what you get from this is an analysis of the bodies involved rather than the cause they are fighting for.</p>

<p>Sad...</p>

<p>There's no wonder we don't have more women participating here.</p>

<p>On rethinking this somewhat, I have to say that the photo spread was very impactful to ME. I looked through it, gap-jawed, with a lump in my throat and tears lightly welling up in my eyes. So perhaps there's at least half of the population that's going to "get it."</p>

<p>Sarah, the movement is growing and gaining momentum. A similar protest was staged in Montreal and elsewhere:<br>

<a href="http://femen.org/en/gallery">http://femen.org/en/gallery</a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Femen.UA">https://www.facebook.com/Femen.UA</a></p>

<p> </p>

<p>I wanted to add to my first posting. The Femen article became something of a Twitter meme. It was retweeted more than the Muslim women's protest against it to point out that while they would like equality, they don't need a naked protest to draw attention to their plight. The link to an Al Jazeera article about this is at http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201304050033-0022659<br>

<br />I have noted a number of photo tweets on Twitter all day from Muslim women protesting against this by the way.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Nobody wants to see pix of ugly fat people, be it male or female. Ever see some of the pix taken at various San Francisco events? There isn't enough bleach I could put in my eyes to erase that scarring.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

Ever thought that maybe some of us don't want to read your ugly comments?</p>

<p>Bob, do you think that those are "average" women? The cause may be valid, but there's something else going on here, I suspect. Just because it's a "women's issue" doesn't mean we suspend credulity. </p>

<p>Interesting, this comment:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>This event is open to ALL muslim women, Hijaabi's Nikaabis and women who choose not to wear it. Muslimah pride is about connecting with your Muslim identity and reclaiming our collective voice. Most importantly it is about diversity and showing that muslim women are not just one homogenous group. We come in all shapes and sizes, all races and cultural backgrounds. Whether we choose to wear hijaabs or not is nobodies business but ours. So please get clicking, get creative, get loud and proud.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>What is being protested is a young woman being punished severely for doing something that should be "nobodies (sic) business but ours." Curious.</p>

<p>I remember once staying at a hotel with a very nice indoor pool. My partner and I decided to go swimming there, late at night. We had the pool to ourselves. About 30 min after we had hopped into the pool, a large group of Arab men and women entered the pool area. The men, wearing their Speedos, jumped into the pool and started making flirtatious conversation with us. </p>

<p>All the while, their wives were cloaked in heavy, black garb, only their eyes visible. They didn't talk amongst themselves, nor did they read or occupy themselves in other ways. No, they just sat there, obediently sweating in the hot, humid, chlorine air at the side of the pool beneath their cloaks, watching silently as their husbands flirted with the Western women in skimpy swimming suits. We felt awful. We got out of the pool, quietly nodded our apologies/sympathies to the wives, and left. I simply cannot believe any woman would subject herself to that sort of treatment by choice.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Bob, do you think that those are "average" women? The cause may be valid, but there's something else going on here, I suspect. Just because it's a "women's issue" doesn't mean we suspend credulity.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>They were <em>young</em> women. Y<em>oung</em> people tend to do most of the protesting in our society, particularly the more radical protesting. And those were certainly very average <em>young</em> women, for the most part. Perhaps the less "doughy" ones got more close-ups, though, fleshing out that spread of 31 huge photos.</p>

<p>"I simply cannot believe any woman would subject herself to that sort of treatment by choice."</p>

<p>Sarah, it's not by choice. It's a kind of slavery in a feudal or tribal culture. And it stinks.</p>

<p>If you say so Sarah. You've probably seen more average naked young women than me. Perhaps my sample and/or my memory was distorted. I'm still suspicious. At least some look like hired hands to me.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Sarah, it's not by choice. It's a kind of slavery in a feudal or tribal culture. And it stinks.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not to be unclear, I was saying I do not believe the women at the pool had any choice. (I agree with you.)</p>

<p>It's actually quite shocking that women's rights is still a topic of debate in some parts of the world. </p>

<p>It's perhaps understandable that "Topless Jihad" gains more attention (topless notwithstanding) than something like Malala Yousafzai fighting for her right to attend school and getting shot for the cause, and interesting to observe the differences in approach and results. </p>

<p>Yousafzai was just nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize; lots of respect and not a lot of fanfare. Let's see if the right of girls to attend school will result from it vs. women's rights resulting from the Femen movement.</p>

 

<p>Perhaps these protesters are thinking carefully about how they might get the most news media coverage for their cause?<br /> And perhaps they are thinking about the gender of those whose minds need to be changed?<br /> ..and tailoring their protest accordingly.<br /> Good on then for standing up and saying something. Yes, they're nice to look at, but please don't overlook the importance of their message.<br>

(and @Michael Chang -- absolutely right! Why would you willingly ignore half the brainpower in your society?)</p>