…it?
While not as ubiquitous as in the Republic Day Mashramani Marches of the past decades, the Independence Jubilee Float and Road March wasn’t completely bereft of scantily clad men and women shimmying down or gyrating down Brickdam. Your Eyewitness was pleased to see even the Junior Minister of Resources showing some of her own resources. But there are those in society who feel women “shouldn’t be dressing like that”, even for “jump up” events…much less everyday strolls in the streets.
Why? Well, they say such clothes are “provocative”. Provocative to whom? Well…men, of course! Skimpy women clothes drive them to such heights of sexual excitement, oftentimes they can’t “control” themselves and are “driven” to satisfy their urges. Even to raping the said women or any other who may be “on hand” or can be ambushed. Now even though rape’s been made a crime, not only the rapists but the rest of society – even some women – claim the scantily dressed raped women “brought it on themselves” because of their “provocative dress”.
Now, your Eyewitness – even though he’s as red-blooded as the other guy – is more than a bit confused with this state of affairs. Right off the bat, he wants to know how come scantily clad men’s garb aren’t described as “provocative” to women. And women aren’t driven beyond their human control to do unspeakable violence to men’s bodies? And that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? Men and women are both humans, but this Eyewitness knows of no study that has shown men’s sex urges are innately greater or more intense than women’s.
This means that men are SOCIALISED to a greater extent to see women’s body parts as “sexual stimuli” than the converse. In fact, numerous studies have shown for different cultures total different body parts can be the stimuli. It’s not only the breasts and booties of the West…back in China it used to be the women’s ankles. That’s right….ankles! And in many tribal societies in Africa, breasts didn’t have to be bared – they were there on display out in the open – without all the men driven crazy by lust.
As usual, it all comes down to power and who has the power to determine what we think – even about what’s “provocative”. And yes…of course, some women find some men’s body parts “provocative”, but the second part of the equation is they aren’t socialised to think they have a “right” to take what they want from men. Even against their will.
So could we please quit saying “women are asking for it” and start re-socialising men?”
…professionals
The regular habitués of this column might be wondering what provoked their Eyewitness into the above riff on “provocative garb”. Well, apart from the snide comments overheard on May 26, there’s this report on the Police Commish visiting some strip joints in Georgetown. A while back, the Minister mentioned above was in charge of “Labour” and had travelled all the way to Bartica to haul some working girls back to Georgetown for corrupting the morals of our Frontier City. Your Eyewitness had asked why no action was taken on the Brazilian strip joints in Alberttown.
Well, he’s now getting the low down. Someone leaked that the present COP was a habitué of one of the said strip joints and had rescinded its closure ordered by a subordinate police officer. The said subordinate was allegedly then spitefully not allowed to further her education. The Police heatedly denied this and said, “Regarding the Strip Club, the COP has denied ever attending a strip club…other than for professional purposes.”
