General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If women have to get their tits out to make a point, so be it. [View all]iemitsu
(3,891 posts)"morality laws" in her country and the action cannot be judged by western standards. We are not the ones who will determine how effective or appropriate Amina's protest is.
That said, the action is about sexualizing women and reinforcing a second class status for women but Amina's protest is about Tunisian men and culture not American men or their attitudes.
This is Amina's protest, I doubt she was prompted by a man to expose her naked breasts. She chose to place herself in great danger to make a point and it is not fair for American men or women to second guess what motives or impact the action might have on Tunisian society.
Who cares if American men are titillated by breasts? One could argue, that while the protest might have its desired effects in the Muslim world it backfires in the west where men act silly when breasts are exposed but Americans are not the target audience. But why make such an argument? Just to alienate American men? How we feel or might react is not the issue.
I wish that this sort of protest, and the social and legal conditions that prompt such protests, could be discussed without men being vilified (by some) for having interest in the subject (both women's rights and breasts).
How American men view naked breasts is not the issue and insisting that men cannot discuss women's issues without nefarious motives is insulting. Women need men to understand their point of view if all are to be treated equally. Marginalizing men and excluding them from discussions about women's rights does not help women gain those rights.