Because we're still oppressed

Many feminists define liberation as essentially wearing as little as possible. The more you wear, the more oppressed you are. It is only within this context that a process of stripping can be seen as a liberating process. While this may be the case for some women, it is certainly not the case for me, or for most women I know. That doesn’t mean we aren’t feminists—it means that we see liberation differently. The reason I’m a feminist is because I believe every woman should have a choice in how she lives. These choices are obviously dependent on socially constructed ideas, norms and values. What a woman can choose in Egypt is not the same as what a woman can choose in Paris, simply because societies see different things as “good” or “bad.” Contrary to what western feminists may think, not every woman wears the veil because she’s forced to by her violent, patriarchal father. By labeling specific things as “feminist” or “anti-feminist,” you are yet again imposing rules and boundaries on women —which is exactly what you claim patriarchy does.

“

—

My thoughts on Femen Feminism - Sara Salem

Feminism can only succeed if we accept diversity. There isno waywe can fight against a system as strongly entrenched as patriarchy if we keep up all this in-fighting about who is a good feminist and who isn’t a feminist at all. Feminism shouldn’t be about whether a veil is “okay” or not—it should be about whether a woman was forced to wear a veil, just as it should be about whether a woman in Paris was forced to wear a mini-skirt. It should be about the effects of capitalism, of racism, of Islamophobia on the everyday lives of women. Feminism has the potential to be greatly emancipatory by adopting an anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic and anti-Islamophobic rhetoric, instead of often activelybeingracist, homophobic, transphobic and Islamophobic.

(via mehreenkasana)

mehreenkasana:

Iranian female ninjas (kunoichi) learn Ninjutsu in a club. Iran has a force of almost 3500 female ninjas.

Source: Express Tribune, Pakistan.

A massive finger to those who think all Muslim women are “oppressed” in their veils. More strength to these women.

mehreenkasana:

افعل دائما ما انت خائف منه

Always do what you’re afraid of doing.

The collective conscience of [the Pakistani] society is still not dead.

“

—

Dr. Farzani Bari, director of the Department of Gender Studies at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and a rights activist, writes about the lessons learned from the Kohistan women episode.

The media brought the incident to public notice. Civil society swiftly reacted by protesting and demanding an inquiry into the incident. Political representatives (Bushra Gohar from the ANP in particular) took personal interest in the matter and demanded that the local administration provide information on the incident. The federal government agreed in no time to provide all the logistical support in the shape of helicopters for investigating the matter. The Chief Justice of Pakistan promptly took suo motu notice and sent a fact-finding mission, which included human rights activists and civil society representatives, to the area. We have proven through this collective response that the Pakistani nation qualifies to be in the comity of civilised nations.

[…]

[T]he best thing is that the strong reaction by the judiciary, politicians, administration, media, human rights activists and CSOs has sent a clear signal to the rest of the country and to Kohistan in particular, that these jirgas are unconstitutional and that decrees of killing people will not be tolerated by the state and society.

Brilliant. And kudos to the Pakistanis who raised their voices for these women.

(via mehreenkasana)

They’re alive and well. Congratulations.

jahnabibarooah:

Wow, thank you for your work Aparna. It is so important, and you inspire so many women around the world. — Jahnabi

oppressedbrowngirlsdoingthings:

badasswomen:

Meet Aparna Bhola, India’s teen sex educator

“There’s nothing to giggle or be shy about; there’s no shame in it. It’s important for us to learn about these things. Be totally bindaas (carefree) and ask me questions,” says Aparna Bhola, with a wide smile.

It’s a hot Sunday afternoon, but the stifling Mumbai summer air does nothing to curb the enthusiasm of the girls surrounding her. Aparna, a spunky 16-year-old, is in the midst of giving a group of her peers a candid sex-education class, and today’s topic is pregnancy. She leads the class confidently, dispelling superstitions with funny stories and apologizing disarmingly for her chalk drawing skills.

Aparna is member of a nongovernmental organization called Kranti, meaning “revolution,” which strives to give young women rescued from prostitution access to education and new opportunities. She was teaching the class as part of a partnership with an organization called Project Crayons, which runs a shelter for girls in Mumbai’s Malad neighborhood.

The daughter of a sex worker, Aparna grew up in Kolkata. Her mother, Malti, was married when she was 9 and was beaten by her husband. When she ran away and returned to her hometown in the Sundarbans, her aunt took her to Kolkata under the pretense of sending her to school. There, Malti was sold into sex work for 10,000 rupees ($180 at current exchange rates) when she was 12 years old. When she initially refused to be a prostitute, the brothel owner stuffed chili powder in her genitals to force her into submission, says Aparna.

Growing up in red-light districts, Aparna says she was distressed by the way doctors routinely mistreated sex workers because of the stigma against their profession. Her mother, diagnosed with uterine cysts, was unable to get treatment for them because of the bias against sex workers. Aparna remembers a niece being refused treatment by a doctor who said he didn’t want to bother with such poor people.

When sex workers like Aparna’s mother would become pregnant, the “doctors would treat them so badly,” Aparna recalls. “They would yell at them, and even slap them sometimes. They would say things like ‘You go and pick up anyone’s child and come to me with your stomach swollen. When you were doing it, you enjoyed yourself and now what happened?’ ”

These encounters made Aparna want to become a gynecologist. Even when she was younger, she would share with her friends and peers whatever sexual health-related information she could find.

“I want to work with gynecology to cater to sex workers because I know the issues they faced,” says Aparna, her face set in a determined expression. “If I became a doctor, I could give whatever information the mothers need when they are pregnant. There would be someone to talk to them nicely when they are in pain.”

In the time that she has spent at Kranti, Aparna has stopped drinking, improved her English, gained confidence and branched out into a number of extracurricular activities. She just completed grade 11, and is working toward her dream of becoming a gynecologist. This year she will enter the 12^th grade and is planning to take the entrance examinations for medical school.

She also represented Maharashtra state in the Youth Parliament, an advisory group to the state government, where participants recently discussed whether sex education should be introduced in Indian schools.

“I used to think that my whole world is within the four walls of my room, of the house,” says Aparna. “Now I see that there is a big, big world beyond that where many things are possible for me.”

“What I really want is that girls become powerful and aren’t scared of anyone,” says Aparna. “They should think in their minds that ‘I will go ahead and progress and no one can hold me back.”

Now THAT’S a fierce woman.

She wins.

A Palestinian woman in training camp. Jordan, 1969.

Yes.

A Palestinian woman in training camp. Jordan, 1969.

Yes.

37thstate:

Biker Chicks

Mi gente de Obolo Village, Enugu, Nigeria

~ photos courtesy jujufilms

The word you’re looking for is: Perfection.

mehreenkasana:

Female Pakistani soldiers. Badass. Pakistani fighter pilots. Badass. Off to soar in the air, y’all. Badass. Pakistani cadets just checking ammo. Not a big deal. Pakistani navy officers. Pakistani military doctor helping a little Afghan refugee. Pakistani fighter pilots on duty. What’s the word? Badass, that’s right.

This should shut the anonymous person up who said, “All Pakistani women are weak.” This was just the military sector. Imagine the women working in the education, medicine, NGOs, film making, fashion, art, engineering, media, political sector(s) and more. Constantly faced with adversity (I would never deny the reality that we face in employment, society, politics but then what kind of women don’t?), these ladies continue to work hard without giving hope up. And you’re just plain stupid.

Brown women in Pakistan flying fighter jets, blowing shit up.