A Quick Word On Burkhas

OK…so I’m a bit drunk. But tonight’s surfing brought me to a story of some girl who got arrested for her “too revealing” prom dress, and then an assortment of Hollywood “gaffes” wherein some starlet or other showed too much nipple, and finally I was compelled to do a search for “men burkhas” which, I can tell you, turned up no men in burkhas. So I just wonder:

1) How come it’s crazy when Middle Eastern religions say women have to cover up, but it’s OK when we do it here? It’s because it’s different bits, isn’t it?
2) How come Western culture is so sexually promiscuous, and yet a nipple is still headlining news?
3) How come anyone still cares about Britney Spears? [Note: you must follow above pattern of searches to understand this question]
4) Why does a search for men in burkhas turn up mostly naked women?

Perhaps they are not deep questions, but I sort of think they are.

Categories: Mary-Contrary Musings

5 thoughts on “A Quick Word On Burkhas”

  3. Martin.haywood@inter

    I am replying here because other forums (you know who you are, NV) are so jam packed with apologists for the effing police response that I am likely to do physical harm to myself in my frustrated desire to introduce the offenders to enhanced interrogation techniques.

    She was, let’s face it, arrested for being (a) dressed in perfectly legal if provocative clothing and (b) being uppity. Who says the US has moved on from being a deeply prudish deeply sexist country? Not that I’m complaining other western countries are a hell of a lot better. So you’re right, there’s a lot in common with Afghanistan. What’s scary is that apparently normal people are playing the role of the Taliban and joining the stoning party.

    So, shut up and cover up, ok?

  4. celestina

    Yeah, although the article on the prom dress didn’t really go into detail about why she was arrested, the fact that she offered to cover up and then asked for her money back tells me that she did not immediately fly into a blithering rage when refused entrance. So in the end it comes down to exactly what you said, Martin. Too much skin, too much attitude. And even disregarding why demanding her money back got her in trouble, I am still struggling with why we still make such a big deal about skin in the first place. How did we evolve from naked advanced monkeys where clothing was optional (as in, say, among the Greeks) to a culture where women have to be damned sure to not only cover up those “naughty bits” but also be careful how they reveal the rest? It’s too easy to just say Christianity did it…as Christianity certainly was a huge influence in setting up our current culture, but it largely encapsulated and reflected a growing body of beliefs in the time of its inception (read: at whatever period each book of the Bible was written).

    At any rate, the US still has a long way to go when it comes to moving past all its -isms.

  5. Martin.haywood@inter

    It seems the worst prudes were the sons of Abraham, but personally I think it has a lot to do with “locking up the women”. It’s interesting, don’t you think, that the fact that the girl was beyond social boundaries (in the eyes of the security guard and I guess the police) made her fair game for over the top treatment – her arrest. There’s an insular bullying attitude from those in authority, you see it everywhere these days. Is it my imagination or is that one of the consequences of 9/11?

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