Category Archives: EN

Femen’s obsession with nudity feeds a racist colonial feminism

Another week, another heated debate over the tactics and language used by the feminist protest group Femen, which last Thursday launched an International Topless Jihad Day. The group, started in Ukraine, uses topless protest as a way to raise the profile of women's rights. The day of action was called in response to threats received by a Tunisian Femen activist, Amina Tyler, for posting topless pictures of herself on Facebook.With slogans such as "nudity is freedom" and statements such as "topless protests are the battle flags of women's resistance, a symbol of a woman's acquisition of rights >>>

Ukraine: ‘Topless Jihad’ stirs ire of many around globe

Minutes after her arrest by German officials for flashing her bare chest feet away from a flustered German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin, activist Aleksandra Shevchenko steadfastly refuted the criticism of the latest antics of Femen, the Ukraine-based "sextremist" organization of which she is a key member.Femen recently stirred international controversy with its International Topless Jihad Day, which saw participants strip in front of Tunisian embassies of their countries and local mosques. These activities raised the ire of female Muslims who claim they do not >>>

Women’s rights are the victims of Femen’s feigned outrage

"F*ck your morals ... my body belongs to me and is not the source of anyone's honour" is what Amina Tyler, a 19 year old Tunisian woman, wrote in Arabic across her chest before photographing herself and posting it online. After she disappeared, the rumours started that her family had forcibly placed her in a mental institution and that she had been threatened with stoning - something as disturbing as it is un-Islamic. Femen, the Ukraine-based feminist group who operate from a second-wave Western feminist approach and with whom Amina associated, hurled themselves into >>>

Femen’s Islam-bashing disregards Muslim feminism

NEW YORK {WOMENSENEWS}--"International Topless Jihad Day"--organized in several European capitals on April 4 by the feminist group Femen--was a setback for women in the Muslim world. All it did was give religious extremists a good reason to denounce feminism as an importation of the West that insults cultures and religions. But Femen's leader, Inna Schevchenko, seems intent on ignoring that message. In an April 8 retort to her Muslim female critics in the Huffington Post U.K., Schevchenko only intensifies a culturally tone-deaf narrative that says Islam is oppressive, Muslim men are violent >>>

The Muslim Women Who Won’t Be "Liberated" By Femen

MUNICH -The opposite of good is well-intentioned. And the present conflict between Femen activists and Muslim feminists demonstrates how a “well-intentioned” action can fail so miserably. Femen activists are supposed to be the good guys – the ones who stand for freedom and emancipation. To spread their message they protest topless – naked but not available was the idea when they first started demonstrating against prostitution, sexism and trafficking women at the European World Soccer Championships in 2012 in Ukraine, their home country. But bare breasts don’t translate well in every >>>

We are Femen, the naked shock troops of feminism

You can hear us shouting "Fuck off, dictator!", "I'm not your sex toy!", or "Religion is slavery!" You can see our half-naked bodies facing Berlusconi, Putin or the Pope. You can feel how deep our anger is by looking in our eyes. We are feminism's shock troops, a spearhead unit of militants, a modern incarnation of the word fearless. We are Femen. Our nakedness attacks the raw nerve of the historic conflict between women and "the system". We are nothing less than its most visual and fitting embodiment. Our activists' bodies represent undisguised hatred for the patriarchal order, and display >>>

Five Years of FEMEN! Happy birthday!

Women's movement FEMEN was founded on 10th of April 2008 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Five years passed and today FEMEN is women's movement with activists in Ukraine, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Egypt, Tunisia, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Canada and further afield. FEMEN is an international women’s movement of brave topless female activists painted with the slogans and crowned with flowers. FEMEN female activists are the women with special training, physically and psychologically ready to implement the humanitarian tasks of any degree of complexity and level of provocation. FEMEN >>>

Gay, feminist groups protest against Putin on Germany, Netherlands tour

Vladimir Putin faced hundreds of protesters ranging from gay rights activists to a topless feminist group during his visit to Germany and the Netherlands, but the Russian president appeared unruffled by the furore. In Hanover, Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised Russia's human rights record at a press conference on Monday. Then activists from Ukraine's Femen group bared their breasts and ran at him shouting "Putin dictator!" before they were detained. Putin shrugged off the protest later with what appeared to be an off-colour comment and a swipe at Dutch protesters angry over Russian >>>

Femen: Please Slow Your Roll

FEMEN, a "sextremist" feminist group based in Ukraine and known for their topless protests, organized "International Topless Jihad Day" this past Thursday. A 19-year-old Tunisian FEMEN activist, Amina Tyler, had posted topless photos of herself on Facebook with the words "Fuck your morals" and "My body is my own and not the source of anyones honor" written on her naked torso. Reports reveal that Amina was committed to a mental hospital, and many high ranking Islamic figures have called for rather extreme violence in response to her photos. She has been reportedly hiding >>>

Amina: Topless Tunisian Feminist Threatened

A Tunisian activist says she fears for her life after courting controversy by posting topless pictures of herself online in support of Arab women's rights last month. Ukraine-based group Femen, which stages pranks for women's and gay rights, inspired the bold act of the 19-year-old, known as Amina Tyler. Ms Tyler posted the pictures of herself with the words: "My body belongs to me" and "F*** your morals" emblazoned across her naked breasts, provoking the ire of Islamist groups. Shortly after, she disappeared from public view, raising fears that she had suffered reprisals at the hands >>>