Inna Shevchenko (Ukrainian feminist activist)

[glam]

Inna Shevchenko (Інна Шевченко)

member of feminist protest group FEMEN
born 1990 in Ukraine (age 23)
currently residing in France (granted her political asylum)

 

Background http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko

... is the most high profile member of the Ukrainian feminist protest group FEMEN, which regularly makes headline news across the world for demonstrating topless against what they perceive as manifestations of patriarchy, especially dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry.

Shevchenko was the leader of the three FEMEN activists reputedly kidnapped and threatened by the Belarus KGB in 2011.

She achieved attention in Ukraine by felling a 13 foot high Christian cross commemorating the Holodomor in central Kiev with a chainsaw in 2012.

In December 2012, the French magazine Madame Figaro included Shevchenko in its list of the world`s top 20 iconic women of the year.

In 2013, Shevchenko was granted political asylum in France, from where she continues her activism by leading FEMEN France from a training base she has established in Paris.

Inna had a childhood 'like that of all girls. I was brought up as a typical Ukranian, Slavic girl, and was taught not to shout or argue'. She was a 'patsanka' (tomboy) and was especially close to her father who was a military officer.

The 2004 Orange Revolution opened her eyes to politics and in the TV shows which pitted journalists against politicians the journalists 'looked more intelligent so I wanted to be one'. She went to university at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from 2008 until 2012 where she studied journalism and graduated with honours.

Her extracurricular activity as a leader of the student government gave her political connections that helped land her a job in 2009 working for the Mayor's press office in Kiev.

On her anger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko#Quotes

I've never been raped, I never was a victim of men. My consciousness was not raised by a blow from heaven or by a single event. It came gradually. My anger grew, starting from the day the press office fired me for my activism, not for any work-related reason. The more we demonstrated, and the more I saw how the police tried to stop us, the angrier I became. In each protest I went out to shout about what I couldn't stand anymore. When you see how hard police try to stop you, you understand how right you are to be out there.

On her kidknapping by the Belarus KGB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko#Quotes

As I waited for death, I felt something changing inside. I realized that I could do nothing except continue with my activism. I knew that if they asked me to beg them for my life, I would not do it. I was not ready to give up my struggle to save my life.

On being the main inspiration for the new Marianne design on a French stamp http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/...ce_controversy

FEMEN is on French stamp.Now all homophobes,extremists,fascists will have to lick my ass when they want to send a letter.

Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko
FEMEN: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEMEN
her Twitter account: https://twitter.com/femeninna

[mu4]

I think she is LSI.

[silke]

SLE-Ti

sp/so 7w8

[xerx]

It's nice to feminists this focused on the plight of third-world women ( especially now, that a lot of prominent feminism has turned its attention to first-world problems** ), but I'm worried that their form of protest might be seen as too gimmicky and sabotage their cause.

I read that a group of them was recently arrested in Tunisia for indecent exposure; culture shocking traditional societies with your extremely liberal sensibilities might not be the best tactic vis a vis moderate opinion.


** e.g. why aren't there more female characters in games, why don't husbands wash the dishes, why don't we teach boys to wear pink and play with dolls, etc.
Legitimate or not as these questions are, I'd think that topics like female circumcision are a bit more important.

[glam]

SLE-Ti was my guess as well, though i can understand the LSI typing.

It's nice to feminists this focused on the plight of third-world women ( especially now, that a lot of prominent feminism has turned its attention to first-world problems** ), but I'm worried that their form of protest might be seen as too gimmicky and sabotage their cause.

I read that a group of them was recently arrested in Tunisia for indecent exposure; culture shocking traditional societies with your extremely liberal sensibilities might not be the best tactic vis a vis moderate opinion.


** e.g. why aren't there more female characters in games, why don't husbands wash the dishes, why don't we teach boys to wear pink and play with dolls, etc.
Legitimate or not as these questions are, I'd think that topics like female circumcision are a bit more important.

yea, that's similar to a lot of the criticism FEMEN tends to receive, and why they aren't taken seriously by many (especially at home in Ukraine). even so i can understand their rationale for engaging in this kind of shock protest. in the interview siuntal posted, Shevchenko said they had already tried other "classic" forms of protest/activism, that they "weren't working" any longer, and argued that because of this, it was necessary to rethink feminism itself & engage in this type of protest in order to keep feminism alive.

i don't agree with Shevchenko's assertion that the nudity & topless protesting is the only way to get the message across, though like i said, i understand why she and the other women do it.

though they are able to catch people's attention, i agree that the toplessness might just make people roll their eyes and dismiss them (similar to PETA's attention-seeking demonstrations & propaganda.) but hey, maybe FEMEN sees bad publicity as better than no publicity?

if anything, it's a way for these young women to express their anger & rebellious attitudes in an organized fashion, for matters affecting women that certainly do merit outrage. Shevchenko likened FEMEN protesters to "soldiers" for the feminist movement.... lol Beta

public perception of FEMEN: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEMEN#C...olitical_image

[Beautiful sky]

SLE(?) need more pics but looks xLx

[Absurd]

Definitely Se/Fe. Even the name FEMEN gives it away. I take it the male equivalent is SEMEN and male feminists are dressed in nothing than condoms. I have to admit, the bit you quoted is pure gold.

FEMEN is on French stamp.Now all homophobes,extremists,fascists will have to lick my ass when they want to send a letter.

I was thinking about putting it in my sig and adding 'radical feminists' to that string of intellectuality.

[Esaman]

I agree with SLE, but also need more pics.

...Joking aside. I don't see a problem with them getting attention that way and breaking a few social norms while at it.

[Absurd]

I'm sure you do, ask for naked ones at least to V.I. better. You can try to persuade some member on here to find those for you as well, seeing your Internet got broke.

As for FEMEN breaking social norms in Ukraine being fine and customary, I don't see anything wrong(?) with people getting jailed for breaking those social norms, no wonder she moved to France and a pity though - she won't have anything to protest there.

Hmm, I just got an idea.

[Sol]

ENTJ(?)

They are not feminists - just venal hooligans. And this band is not Ukranian - it's controlled by foreign people, work for foreign money and for foreign interests, including work against interests of so called Ukrainians and other Russians.

[Esaman]

ENTJ(?)

They are not feminists - just venal hooligans. And this band is not Ukranian - it's controlled by foreign people, work for foreign money and for foreign interests, including work against interests of so called Ukrainians and other Russians.

Sounds like stupid rhetoric. What would those foreign interest be?

[Absurd]

Sol is trying to say in his own way(?) that movements like that are socially engineered and usually funded by foreign capital. Just liek the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine was a means of restructuring the economy. I'm sure Sol is going to call it destabilisation, knowing that he holds his Ukrainian brothers in high regard and wouldn't want to see Russia losing its interests in Ukraine.

Yes, Ukraine is torn apart between the West and the East, Esaman, so when you don't know what it's all about, it's most likely about money.

[InvisibleJim]

dirty kid with death stare aint free and FEMEN is not set up by a bunch of crazies who can't even afford their plane tickets,yet travel around like it's noone's business

Vested interests rent-a-mob.

[blackburry]

dirty kid with death stare aint free and FEMEN is not set up by a bunch of crazies who can't even afford their plane tickets,yet travel around like it's noone's business

a) Semen is totally




I quoted this because I wasn't sure if you meant is set up by crazies?

How do people travel around for free? Tell me your secrets, I wan know.

[Absurd]

a) Semen is totally

http://www.the16types.info/vbulletin...hp/43372-SEMEN

Join now and take your clothes off, blackburry. Total discretion and life long satisfaction guaranteed.

[blackburry]

Crap... If only I were




Let's protest the sex industry by protesting naked in the street!!


Oh wait... FEMEN already attempts that.

[1981slater]

She is just HOT