Iranian Women Snap ‘Stealthy’ Photos Free Of Hijab

Rest rferl (HT:  Being Feminist, facebook)

I’m always uncomfortable when I see pictures such as these because of our (Western) eagerness to colonise the bodies and practices of women of colour. I find it hard to identify if such acts are liberating and empowering or, rather, a capitulation to Western values and culture. (See, for example, research evidence which suggests that we in the west have little understanding of the experiences of women of colour – in this case, their wearing of a veil – yet we are quick to assume that a veil is oppressive, patriarchal, and unacceptable.)

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#quickhits

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Maybe it’s best to see this as not having anything to do with the West at all. Maybe it’s about women of color bravely defying a very real and very terrible patriarchal regime that literally makes it illegal for women to not dress in a certain way.

And yet, you dismiss these photos of these brave women of color, risking punishment from the authorities just to show their defiance, as “capitulation to Western values and culture” when there is zero evidence to support this. This represents a very white-centric and West-centric worldview that is endemic to white feminism these days. Maybe it isn’t all about us white people?

cultural relativism is a plague.

Women taking a stand for their own freedom always have my heart.

yep. I’m Iranian and this stuff just warms my heart because the Iranian regime has some very cruel policies in place against women. It makes my blood boil actually that people would be dismissive of this and feel anything but pride and solidarity towards these women just because “oh maybe the West blah blah blah.” It’s not always about the freaking West.

like do these people know that before the revolution women were not required to wear hijab & many, if not most, women did not? not wearing a hijab is not a new phenominon inspired by americans or whatever. do they realize that iranian women have been protesting against these laws since the very beginning, in huge numbers? and that these laws are enforced differently to restrict women during time of political tension? do people even get that not every single thing iranian women do is about the West, and iranian women are not “conforming” to Western ideals by being against patriarchy. 

But anytime any iranian says anything against the regime, against oppressive laws, against anything, it’s brushed off as us “adopting western values”, by westerners themselves. 

Seriously how ethnocentric can you be to see women bravely throwing off the shackles of an oppressive regime that’s only existed since 1979 in a way that can see them arrested or even physically harmed and think “they must be abandoning their unique culture for Western values uwu.” 

This is what women in Iran wore before the revolution: 

There are women still alive who remember this, it was only 40 years ago. Only 40 years ago women weren’t restricted in education and career, weren’t bound to wear loose clothes and head coverings on pain of punishment. 

So yes, OP, the veil is oppressive, patriarchal, and unacceptable

This is what women in Iran wear now, and it’s not a choice to be able to choose within a legally mandated religious garment. 

Though some women push the rules more and more:

Iran is a tragic lesson in how quickly a theocracy can be installed and change the entire face of a country, how quickly an entire country can regress. And it’s a lesson people really need to pay more attention to.

I can’t believe it has to be said that “lesbian” is not catch-all term for “anyone but cis men” attracted to “anyone but cis men”

A LESBIAN IS A FEMALE HOMOSEXUAL.

Female homosexuality exists and it will ALWAYS exist.

Make up your own goddamn words and stop stealing ours.

Pornhub commenters generally have a reputation of being more civil to each other than youtubers. Maybe people who argue online just need to bust a nut?

^^^

Not all heroes wear pants. 

when she says she doesn’t send nudes

when guys objectify women and expect them to send nudes

when someone asks you about your nuclear plans for russia

When Russia sends you nudes

#what the fuck happened here

This is my favorite post in all of tumblr

reminder that this post is now illegal in Russia

Goddamn Josh

The theoretical difference between conservatives, radical feminists, and gender identity advocates.

THIS

Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is how a lot of people fundamentally don’t understand the reality of anti-Semitism. Here’s the thing: aside from Israel, which is a tiny speck of a country, there’s no country in the world where Jews are more than a small fraction of the population. We’re talking less than 1% most places, and a whopping 1.8% in the US.

It would be one thing if no one bothered us, but Jews have been discriminated against, oppressed, and murdered consistently for millennia all over the world. There’s this idea that Jews control the world, but first of all, that’s an anti-Semitic trope that you should be very wary of believing, and second of all, if there are Jews in powerful positions, it’s probably in large part because we’ve had to grab as much power as we can to protect ourselves. Even then, many times throughout history, it wasn’t enough, and we couldn’t count on the people around us to help. 6 million Jews were murdered while much of the world stood by, and that was far from the first time people hadn’t cared enough to help.

That’s why it makes me feel so sad and isolated when anti-Semitism is left out of the causes by people claiming to fight for marginalized groups, as it was at the march I went to yesterday and very often is. It feels like we’re on our own again, and do you understand how few of us there are? We can’t save ourselves alone, and it’s absolutely getting worse in many parts of the world.

This is an issue in itself, but it also connects to how people see Israel without taking into account what it means to many Jews. Israel as a state literally exists because the world felt bad about letting the Holocaust happen. Many people, including my grandparents, moved there because their neighbors in other countries had turned their backs or even helped in the murder of their families and friends. My mom visited Israel recently and she said she heard so much more French than she used to there. That’s because the increased anti-Semitism in France has caused a lot of Jews to no longer feel safe there, and so they moved to the only place where they could escape that. A lot of Jews would be perfectly content living in other countries if they didn’t face so much anti-Semitism there.

That’s what it comes down to, that Israel is the only place in the world where Jews are not a tiny minority that faces at best unconscious prejudice and at worst outright violence from other citizens. But even then, it’s a place where there is a danger of violence, and much of the Arab world wants to wipe Israel off the map entirely. Think about how that feels, knowing that a lot of people think the only place where you can completely belong shouldn’t even exist.

I think a lot of Americans have strong opinions of Israel without knowing anything about the history or current reality of the region, which is a whole separate rant, but what I think the colonialist view that a lot of people have misses most is that this isn’t a case where a colonizing power can withdraw back to their home country. This is a case of people who have no other home country, or whose home countries have made them feel that they don’t have a place there, or who have been kicked out of so many countries they no longer have a home. This is a very important and very overlooked point to understand.

I also think that a lot of criticism of Israel is rooted in anti-Semitism that people don’t even realize they’re playing into, like the Jews rule the world trope or the downplaying of how the hatred of other Middle Eastern countries for Israel a) influences the situation & b) is based on hatred of Jews, and it’s frustrating that people don’t see that. As you yell about privilege, make sure you realize your own in being able to not see subtle (or sometimes really not subtle) currents of anti-Semitism in the way people talk about the world. That doesn’t mean there’s no valid criticism, but criticism that doesn’t take into account the complicated reality of the situation is counterproductive because it just makes Israel feel more attacked. (I’m looking at you, UN.)

I have a lot more to say, but I’m running out of steam, so in summary:

1. Please remember Jews when you talk about fighting oppression, because we not only don’t rule the world, but we’ve been fucked over by it too many times to count and there aren’t enough of us to fight anti-Semitism on our own.

2. Check your privilege and really think about what it’s like to be a religious/ethnic minority that’s a tiny, tiny fraction of the world’s population and yet disproportionately hated.

3. Acknowledge the role of anti-Semitism in both how the world views Israel and how Israelis and many Jews feel about the country, because they really can’t be separated.

(Written by my sister and posted here with her permission.)

I’ve started at least 7 posts about Melania but the words aren’t coming easily. Point is… I don’t want to see a single one of my friends talking shit about Melania or Barron. Don’s fair game. But I look at his behavior in front of cameras, I look at his Twitter tirades, I look at his thin-skinned ball of rage personality and I see the potential for a very volatile home life that is extremely imbalanced in terms of power. I see a man who has the markings of an abuser all over him. 

I look at what happened with Ivana in 1993 when he was violent, abusive, and intentionally caused her pain then mocked her and I can’t for one second believe he changed. 

I see things about how Melania refused to give him her number, but then they started dating, she walked out on him once, then they ‘made up’ and I can’t help but think about the way abusive men manipulate women and how easy it would be for him to completely control her if he wanted to. 

I don’t care how supportive she seems to be. I don’t care what she says in front of cameras. When I look at her, I see a hostage. 

I don’t want to hear anyone attacking her femininity, her appearance, her womanhood, her origins, her nudes… or you’re attacking other women too. I don’t want to hear any victim blaming or “she should’ve left” or “she should’ve known better” or you’re attacking me too. Do not attack a woman and her child who likely have no agency or control over their own lives.

I hate that you guys only care about a woman and her child when you turn them into victims. They only matter if they fit your narrative. Unless you see her as a hostage with no agency you don’t see any reason to empathize with her.

Well, I can’t speak for OP, but considering this post was written around the time of the election results/ inauguration, it was pretty obvious that most Tumblr users were pretty upset with Trump becoming President. That’s a big understatement, and if you remember, people were going at him so violently, that they stopped criticising his politics and started criticising his family to a degree that spilled over into general media and liberal political news outlets (that were making fun of Melania for the reasons OP listed). So, I don’t think that OP only cared to empathize with Melania and Barron bc they are victims, but to call immediate attention to a problem that wasn’t spoken about at all: to many, defending a member of the Trump family (no matter how innocent) was the opposite of what they wanted to do bc of their political affiliation to him. I personally have a big problem with identity politics, so to me it was really aggravating that they attacked Melania and her son on such private matters only bc they were related to Trump. There is no hidden narrative here, just an attempt to call out those who claim to be feminists and yet go to such lengths to publicly shame a woman who so far has not shown any willful connection to her husband’s politics (which the majority of them disagree with *what a coincidence*). Even that, in my eyes, is secondary to simply asking people to give a the situation a second thought, and to stop bashing her on personal grounds.

@adele1901 apart from the fact that the Zionist movement is something we could really argue about…the point is that Harry made at least 2 racist things and we have proofs and he didn’t apologise for them

I totally agree with you there, I just see some really antisemitic posts on Tumblr popping up recently in response to Israel's militarism, so I just wanted to point out that supporting Zionism doesn't necessarily mean you support Israel's militarism. I understand your post wasn't antisemitic.

@adele1901 my views are a joke?

You said: “Every religion sucks except Islam …” The countries following Sharia Law, which is the direct interpretation of the Qur'an, are experiencing some of the most attrocious crimes committed against women and the lgbtqa+ community. Their connection to Islam cannot be denied. Doesn’t mean the whole if Islam is bad, but it cannot be argued that those countries aren’t in need of major reform, similar to that which Christianity has experienced ( women aren’t stoned to death by law in the Western World, which is for the most part secular). “ If you’re against BLM, you are a white nationalist/ supremacist” Being against the movement of BLM, which has proven itself to be destructive to black communities (the very communities it exists to protect), isn’t racist: it’s outcome gives enough reason to not support this movement. The original idea was valid, but the movement itself is counterproductive at best, and downright lethal at worst. “Asexuals are straight” How exactly? I meant heterosexual and asexual have different meanings don’t they? ( Genuine question BTW). “People should punch those they disagree with” 😉 Don’t crack your phone screen pls

In all seriousness, due to the points stated above, I sincerely thought you were being sarcastic.

Well, I have views that aren’t my own because I’m for equality and I was willing to unlearn internalized biases I had. Also, asexuals are just straight by default even though they’re included in the acronym by the majority of people and they’re included in LGBTQA+ spaces.

Also, my phone already is cracked from dropping it on the ground so many times (because I’m klutzy like that). 

Well, I have a genuine question: what’re your beliefs on trans/nonbinary and are you a feminist/radfem?

I consider myself to be a feminist (I thought that to be pretty obvious from my reblog lol) although I do see some major problems with third wave feminism and identity politics. As for trans/ non binary, I strive to support and am willing to understand all that which is supported by scientific research. Therefore, I do believe trans people are valid. Also, I'm not rlly clear as to how asexuals are straight by default. Wouldn't they not be since they have no sexual attraction (therefore not attracted to the opposite sex)?

@adele1901 my views are a joke?

You said: “Every religion sucks except Islam …” The countries following Sharia Law, which is the direct interpretation of the Qur'an, are experiencing some of the most attrocious crimes committed against women and the lgbtqa+ community. Their connection to Islam cannot be denied. Doesn’t mean the whole if Islam is bad, but it cannot be argued that those countries aren’t in need of major reform, similar to that which Christianity has experienced ( women aren’t stoned to death by law in the Western World, which is for the most part secular). “ If you’re against BLM, you are a white nationalist/ supremacist” Being against the movement of BLM, which has proven itself to be destructive to black communities (the very communities it exists to protect), isn't racist: it's outcome gives enough reason to not support this movement. The original idea was valid, but the movement itself is counterproductive at best, and downright lethal at worst. “Asexuals are straight” How exactly? I meant heterosexual and asexual have different meanings don’t they? ( Genuine question BTW). “People should punch those they disagree with” 😉 Don’t crack your phone screen pls

In all seriousness, due to the points stated above, I sincerely thought you were being sarcastic.

This isn’t about joint bank accounts or who the damn song is about. Louis deserves a week for his single release to be about him and Sony, yes Sony, is taking that away from him and all you care about if Larry. How about caring for the individuals in Larry as much as you care about a relationship that you have turned into some fucked up real life fanfic bullshit. No one would be thrilled to have their career constantly undermined by their significant other’s career. This isn’t the only time, this is a pattern and you had no problems calling out Syco for the bullshit before but now Sony can’t be called out… why? Why don’t you demand Sony treat Louis with the same respect they treat Harry? Stop acting like you care about them equally. You don’t. If this were to keep happening to Harry you would be outraged at Sony.

But go ahead and let this fulfill your fucked up idea of what fated love is supposed to look like. Louis is there for Harry’s enjoyment. Louis is supposed to follow Harry around. Louis is supposed to shower Harry with gifts. Louis is supposed to support Harry’s career even if it means it takes away from his own. When is Harry going to be expected to do something for Louis?

Being nasty to louies who just want Louis to have something positive for himself for once doesn’t make you a strong larrie, it makes you a shitty human being.

the truth about the refugee/jewish comparison

if porn has no impact on behavior, then why is it impacting behavior?

Source

The Kreung tribe in Cambodia allows teenage girls to host private encounters with boys; it is feared pornography will poison the oasis

The idea of a teenage girl inviting different boys to spend the night alone with her every night would appall most Canadian mothers. But for the Kreung tribe in northeastern Cambodia, this is an integral part of a girl’s journey into womanhood.

Journalist Fiona MacGregor and photographer Louis Quail went to visit the Kreung tribe to investigate its culture surrounding sex. Parents build their daughters a small shack when they’ve reached the middle of their adolescence; the hut is a safe haven where the girls are encouraged to bring different boys to spend time with them.

The love huts are meant to create a nurturing environment that teaches responsibility and safety when it comes to sex. But Quail says this culture is under attack of globalization and Western pornography, as it misrepresents female sexuality for the boys in the village.

The positive, liberating culture of the Kreung tribe is falling victim to Western influence that discourages respect towards women, according to Quail.

In MacGregor’ article, “Secrets of the Love Huts,” published in Marie Claire in 2011, she interviews Nang Chan, a 17-year-old girl who has had her love hut for two years. Chan points out that just because a boy comes to the hut, it doesn’t mean they always have sex.

“If I don’t want them to touch me, they won’t,” she says. “We will just talk and sleep.”

Chan, like other girls in the tribe, has a lot of agency. Chan says she and her friends have a screening process for the boys they invite over, which includes investigative questioning and promises of devotion and adoration. Young girls go through a series of lovers before finding a compatible partner to start a family and spend their life with. It is common to marry and have children at a young age, but cases of divorce and sexual assault are incredibly rare.

Quail says the Kreung culture is not to be confused with one of promiscuity and lust. “Many people get the wrong idea, exaggerate the sexual aspect, and project their own—mainly Western—values on these tribes,” says Quail. “The idea is that these girls don’t have sex with their partners unless they are sure of them as partners in marriage. However, they might fool around a little with a mix of boys until they find someone they are sexually compatible with.”

Chan’s mother, Galung, a 45-year-old woman, met Puang, Chan’s 56-year-old father, when Galung was 15. Galung says that out of around 150 families in a Kreung village, there have only been one or two couples that have not stayed together.

The girls in the tribe have also been taught about contraceptives by NGOs that operate in the area, aware of how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STIs. Chan notes that the girls and boys share responsibility for safe sex practices.

Leum and Kawan are a couple from the Kreung tribe, and at 30, Leum already has three children with Kawan, his wife of nine years.  “If a girl gets pregnant by a man who doesn’t love her, but another boy does love her, he will marry her anyway and bring the baby up as his own,” says Leum in the MacGregor article.

Leum also says that as parents, they are not worried about virginity or “purity,” so long as the girls are safe physically and sexually, and treated well by boys who return their love.

Lung Wen, the 49-year-old village chief, says this kind of respect for women is fading in the villages. “The boys aren’t as respectful as they used to be,” he says. “They see things on TV about sex that we didn’t used to know about.”

Thanks to media technology, boys have easy access to Western pornography, which, says Quail, teaches disrespect towards women.

“Motorcycles and porn on mobile phones mean boys come from other villages, with a different set of values from those of the past, hoping to take advantage of the girls,” he says. “Before, the families knew the boys from the local area, but now complete strangers can arrive from many miles away. Parents are thinking very hard about whether this tradition can continue.”

Poeun, a 17-year-old girl, saw this behavioural shift first-hand.  “Many of the boys are not very good,” she says. “Some of the boys who come to see me are very arrogant. If they try to do things I don’t want, I tell them off in a loud voice. That usually works.”

While Canadian parents might be quick to give any boy who enters the bedroom of their daughter a swift boot out the door, the Kreung tribe teaches that an open, trusting environment around safe sex is empowering for young girls.

Those from the west who condemn the practices of the Kreung tribe should reflect not only on what we can learn from their culture, but also how our own Western values are teaching them to behave.

Disrespect and hatred of women is taught.

9-year-old girl gives care bags to homeless women

After noticing homeless people on her walk to school in Irvine, California, 9-year-old Khloe Thompson decided to start her own charity, dubbed Khloe Kares. She passes out hand-sewn bags filled with life’s little necessities (feminine hygiene products, soap, socks, toothpaste) to homeless women. Thompson’s work doesn’t stop at Kare Bags though, she just led a huge initiative for kids in group homes.

Humor Irena Sendlerowa Holocaust Nobel Prize

The thing tumblr doesn’t seem to get is that defining womanhood by anything other than biology is deeply misogynistic. Womanhood is not defined by personality or intelligence or interests or fashion taste and to suggest that any of these define womanhood implies that women naturally are the negative stereotypes society expects us to be. Of course we are more than just our biology, but defining us by it does not reduce us to it, just like defining a mammal by the presence of mammary glands does not mean they are just mammary glands with legs. We have shared experiences based on our biology and it is something you cannot opt your way into or out of. The concept of privilege itself becomes useless if it is something you can identify your way into.

Dear Young Women of Tumblr,

Never feel you must identify out of being female.

Never feel you must identify as non-binary, agender, gender-neutral, genderqueer, or any other option outside your natural sex. Even if:

All of these things are perfectly normal for a women to feel, and due to our highly gendered society can sometimes seem unbearable. I know. I have been there. But creative, intelligent, strong, kind, and fiercely unique and independent women have always existed - and you can, too, just as you are.

Harriet Tubman, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, Agatha Christie, Sally Ride, Rachel Maddow, Georgia O’Keefe, Abby Wambach, Amelia Earhart, Malala Yousafzai and so many others are here for you - however you want to express yourself, whoever you want to be. 

It isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. So worth it. Hang in there. <3

<3

It takes true courage and intelligence to realize there’s nothing wrong with being female. With being a woman/girl. To realize that being a woman/female is not in itself limiting, no, society is limiting you.

“Identifying” as “ non-binary”, “agender”, “gender-neutral”, “genderqueer”, or anything else other than your female sex is not courageous. It’s not progressive. You’re not “smashing” any “gender binaries”.

Being a woman who accepts and embraces herself and what makes her unique is. It’s freeing.

So today I learned that you can experience clitoral tears instead of (or in addition to) perineal tears during childbirth and if there’s anything that’s ever made me not want to have children, it’s that.

So I googled what a clitorial tear is and my blood froze. I never want to have children. Ever. NOPE.

Like… WHY AREN’T WE TAUGHT THIS SHIT GROWING UP AS GIRLS?

because the more women know about childbirth, the less they’ll want to procreate. maintaining this kind of ignorance around child birth (or birth control, for the matter) is a conscious choice.