Femen has attracted worldwide attention for its ‘topless’ approach to the feminist cause.

…

euronews, the most watched news channel in Europe
Subscribe for your daily dose of international news, curated and explained:http://eurone.ws/10ZCK4a
Euronews is available in 13 other languages: http://eurone.ws/17moBCU

http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/19/femen-s-breast-bearing-firebrand-feminism-or-foolish-fad
Femen has attracted worldwide attention for its ‘topless’ approach to the feminist cause.

While its provocative protests have certainly won it the media spotlight, some argue that this self styled ‘sextremism’ is counter productive and naive.

For this edition of I-talk our guest is a founder of the group, Inna Shevchenko.

*euronews:* “Inna, Femen is now an internationally recognised brand, but are you not concerned that people remember you going topless, but don’t necessarily hear the message?”

*Inna Shevchenko:* “You can look at our breasts as long as you want. But, while watching our breasts you cannot ignore the message written there. Our breasts are talking, our breasts are screaming, we have transformed our naked bodies into a political instrument. We have given the world a new meaning of women’s nudity. And now this is a political instrument, this is my political weapon, and on my breasts I have written a message I want you to hear.”

*euronews:* “OK, but then at one point, I guess that message, your instrument, is going to become mundane, because people are going to start saying ‘Oh there’s Femen, they are taking their tops off again’. Is that not a concern?”

*Shevchenko:* “I think sometimes people expect more from Femen than our mission is. Our mission is to create a discussion, to reveal the problem, to show the truth, to take the masks off those who are wearing masks. This is our mission. We’re not a political party, we don’t see ourselves as politicians. We are street activists. What we are doing is we attack our enemies, we attack those who believe in patriarchy, those who have a patriarchal opinion about women and the position of women. We face up to them in their own backyard, where they don’t expect us to be, and in this way we are breaking the rules of patriarchy. What we are saying now is we are fighting and we are women.”

*euronews:* “We’ll you’ve certainly provoked a lot of interest, and we’re going to go to our first question.”

Alex: “Hello, I’m Alex and I’m from England, and I was wondering why feminism and the religious tradition can’t work together in parallel?”

*euronews:* “Are you against all religions?”

*Shevchenko:* “Yes. Where religion starts, feminism ends. We are definitely an atheist movement, we are an anti-religious movement, but I don’t want anyone to think we are anti-faith. I don’t care how many times people pray during the day. But I do care when they tell me how I should live my life.”

*euronews:* “Three activists from Femen have been jailed in Tunisia. Euronews does not in any way condone their imprisonment, but do you not think that you are going to have to adapt your message to the culture you are conveying that message in?”

*Shevchenko:* “I think that anyone should understand, the point about Femen is, it doesn’t have anything to do with different cultures. It’s not about that, we’re talking about universal human rights. What we are doing is we are saying to the world that there are no different human rights for Arab women, and a different type for European, and a third type for America, for example. What we do is, we spread universalism, we say we have the right to control our own bodies, everywhere, in any culture, but it doesn’t have anything to do with cultural differences.”

*euronews:* “But then, you know, some people want to control their body differently, some time ago you said ‘better naked than the burka’, but, you know, some people actually choose to wear the burka, do you respect that?”

*Shevchenko:* “I would say that, we are not calling on everyone to take their tops off. What we are doing is we are asking the world, if we, being women, have the right to do it if we want to. And how does the world respond? They put us in jail. They arrest us. They kidnap us. Your question regarding the burka – I will accept, we always accept – you have a choice. But, up to now, in this world there are women who are obliged to cover themselves, like in Iran, in Afghanistan. Tradition means up to now they have to. We are going to point that this religion was nothing because they are trying to cover women they are trying to hide them.”

Find us on:
Youtube http://bit.ly/zr3upY
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/euronews.fans
Twitter http://twitter.com/euronews

source