I read two articles today. Both touched on women’s rights and sexism. One dealt with actual sexism. The other – not so much. Let’s juxtapose an excerpt from each:
First, from the Globe, Omer Aziz writes about honour killing and hatred of women:
What are we afraid of? Can we, for one second, acknowledge that there is a cultural problem here, or will we continue to sanctimoniously blame all of this on ‘those other men over there?’ Within five kilometers of my home, I can think of at least two cases of such extreme, impenitent misogyny. In one case, a Pakistani father beat his daughter after he discovered her long-distance relationship. In another, the case of Aqsa Parvez, her brother strangled her to death with the father’s consent because she objected to wearing the hijab. Everywhere there is an honour killing – a human sacrifice – there is a woman breaking off the chains of tradition. There is a woman demanding the right to live as she wishes, and in her way is a man demanding she get in line.
Next, from the Post, the story of 14 year old Tallie Doyle and her mother, Andrea Stokes, who fight for Tallie’s right to show off her black bra straps in school:
Andrea Stokes, Doyle’s mother, defended her daughter and said her outfit was not “provocative.”
Stokes said she takes issue with the wording of the school’s dress code that lists “appropriate” ways to dress, which she says is up for interpretation. The school’s policy is also sexist, Stokes says.
“I allowed her to go to school with her bra straps showing because it’s a rule I was willing to break,” Stokes said. “There’s nothing about it that is offensive. I don’t want my daughter to feel shamed for the fact that her bra strap shows.”
I’m not even going to comment. I’m just going to sigh.
Sigh.
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