France Welcomes Bare Breasts Femen Protestor

France has offered a safe harbor to bare beasts, at least those belonging to Inna Shevchenko, who comes from Kiev, Ukraine. Inna, aged 23, is one of the cofounders of Femen, which was started in 2008, in her native country to protest various feminist causes.

For those unaware of Femen, they are a group of pretty young Ukrainian women, who like to demonstrate bare breasted with flowered tiaras, against homophobia, religious rigidity and patriarchalism, sexual exploitation of women, political corruption and dictatorship, and suppression of women’s rights in Islamist countries. Perhaps you are more familiar with their ideological confreres, the Pussy Riot, whose members are now imprisoned in Moscow for demonstrating in the city’s cathedral.

Bare breasting in France has never been any big deal here on beaches, nor for that matter, on TV or the quais of the Seine. So it seems quite fitting that the country of liberty, equality and fraternity has granted her political asylum.

According to Inna, her native country considers her now a criminal and that she would be arrested if she returns. She was accused of cutting down a wooden cross overlooking Kiev, in protest of the imprisonment of the Pussy Riot.

The group has a grassroots origin. The name Femen was actually influenced by the latin word of femur, the major bone in the thigh. Being the largest and strongest linear bone in the body, it denotes the strength of their ideals and movement.

The orignal founder of Femen is Ukrainian Anna Hutsol, who has dabbled in the media and now is the group’s main director. She explains that in the Ukraine, women’s rights are severely behind other Western nations.

One of their first protests was against the rising sexual tourism that exists there. Denouncing this with banners “The Ukraine is not a Brothel”, she says that 60% of female college and high school students are in the sex trade for economic reasons and are continually sent to other countries for prostitution. Additionally, women occupy only 8% of governmental jobs.

Besides their demonstrations in Kiev and Paris, they have gone to Minsk, Moscow, Davos, Germany, Tunesia and Italy. They have selected several individuals to directly protest against such as perverted sexist Silvio Berlusconi and DSK, in addition to Vladimir Putin and ex pope Benedict. Now that Inna has been granted asylum, the headquarters for training future activists for the group has been officially claimed to be in Paris.

Although they were originally welcomed and helped by French feminist movements, they now find themselves distanced by them. Though their causes may be mutual, the means of achieving them are not in alliance with French feminists, who don’t like the notion of using their shock and tease approach with nudity.

The over mediatization is not seen as conducive either to the causes that they want to promote. Their over sexualization is feared to be construed as deviant as DSK or Silvio Bertonloni. Some have even called them the Ukrainian kamikazes and Amazons.

Femen retorts that their shock approach was taken from the Suffragettes. The group believes that the more shocked people are, then the more they will pay attention to their cause.

Attention yes, but with the consequences of criticism, not only around their nudity, but the inappropriateness of some places chosen to demonstrate; such as Notre Dame Cathedral, which was generally frowned upon by other French feminists.

Femen has accused the French groups of being “jealous” of their media coverage, zeal and fearlessness. Pointing out that their group has received more media response is certainly correct, regardless of whether or not this has been beneficial to their cause.

Society in general is bombarded by sexist advertisements, especially in French commercials, using the feminine body to sell everything from cars, razors, soaps, perfumes and to God knows what else. I can certainly see Femen’s logic is using the female body in all its youthful perfection and beauty to catch attention of men who still make up hierarchies of power.

That being said, I can see the analogy of using this “power”(bodies and breasts) militantly as “weapons and arms” if that is what it takes for others to take notice. I have always celebrated the “power and significance” of women’s bodies to give birth and our breasts to nurture human enfants as well as the beauty of the female form.

If only “taking notice by nudity” can be effective in bringing about legislation of change, and not just be chalked up as simply exhibition type Ukrainian women more into self promotion. If only their “bare breasts” can be construed as serious empowerment of women, rather than feed the salient voyeurism of men, who only see them as sexual allures and something to fondle.

Although women in most Western societies, have made strides in penetrating all males dynasties, there is still not a lot of equality in political/governmental ranks, CEO ranks of major business, and last, but not least, in religious institutions, especially the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church,in addition to Jewish Orthodoxy.

Jewish women still are barraged with eggs and insults for just wanting to pray at the Wailing wall or wearing the pylactery. Christian women are still barred from the priesthood in Roman and Orthodox churches. The saddest of all is the total lack of basic rights of women in multiple countries ruled by Islamic fundamental rule.

I hope for the safety of these young idealists, that they will not bridge into fighting for women’s right in some Islamist countries , as they would certainly be brutally tormented and killed. Youthful zest is wonderful and is bursting with new ideas, but is definitely fraught with a lack of caution and prudence.

Femen may be a newcomer on the block, but Inna Shevchenko’s “image” has been captured to model France’s Marianne, who is the national emblem and symbolises the “Triumph of the Republic” on the new postal stamp, as seen in the photo. The co designer Olivier Ciappa felt Marianne would have been a Femen, who he feels captures all the values of the French Republic.

Perhaps any upcoming demonstrations in Paris against prostitution, may proved to be formidable and difficult. When the French government tried again this year to do away with prostitution, there were multiple manifestations by Parisian prostitutes loudly proclaiming “they did not have the right do take away their means of making a living and that they were proud to be prostitutes.”

While fellow young Ukrainians and Russians still stalk Blvd Foch as somewhat upscale call girls, Femen might have a chance to make some inroads with them, but with old timers around Pigalle and Rue Saint-Denis, they are in for a fight.

With that in mind, I can only imagine the rich and unusual images of these young, mostly blond, bare breasted women clashing against the extremely colorful gaudiness of these dyed in the wool Parisian prostitutes who are about just as gutsy and fearless as they are! Vive la France and all women’s rights!