Nudity does not define a woman

Egypt was once again in news, and this time it was about a young girl and her blog post. Some termed it a slap to the patriarchal set up of society, whereas others labeled it as free pornography. One thing made clear is that when it comes to women, standard is still ‘man’.

Reading Yasmin Mogahed’s article, Empowerment of Women Speech, I came across following lines, and they fit so well to the affair under discussion.

What she (women) didn’t recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness–not in their sameness. When we accept men as the standard, suddenly anything uniquely feminine becomes by definition inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a full-time mother—a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and selfless compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigned supreme.

We as women are still striving for acceptance. Our lives still revolve around how men perceive us, and in the drive to prove our equality, we are willing to break all boundaries.

The arguments presented in favour of the nude pictures posted on the blog post seem flawed to me, at least.

When a woman is the sum total of her headscarf and hymen – that is, what's on her head and what is between her legs – then nakedness and sex become weapons of political resistance. The Guardian

Aren’t men a sum total of their bank balance- not necessarily proportional to intelligence or character- and masculinity? So is then robbery and rape a legitimate weapon of political resistance.

What we need to understand is in societies, not just women, but men are also judged by certain parameters of sexuality.  Words like sissi and queer are not yet archaic, even in the free societies of the West. Does it mean now that homosexual men should post their nude pictures on a blog, proving their manhood and freedom of choice? – a slap against straight world.

Nakedness- a form of protest is another one that makes you think about where we are headed. Human society has evolved into the form we today call civilization. However, hailing a practice that reverts you back to Stone Age, seems worrisome, especially in the context that these very supporters of nakedness term ‘veil’ to be a medieval custom. 

When it comes to sexuality, the gender anatomy plays a very significant role, which cannot be denied. Till men have testosterone flowing, a women’s body will incite lust, no matter how much nudity is spread around. It’s time that feminists acknowledge this reality, and unless they can change the hormonal mechanism of a male, they should stop demanding change in a man’s view towards a female body. What should be done instead is to use the soul, the feminine character, traits, and nature to gain equality- not similarity.