Swaziland Outlaws Miniskirts 'Cause "They may Lead to Rape"

[Anxious Girl]

http://now.msn.com/swaziland-bans-minis ... ad-to-rape

WTF? :shock: Like the article said, "So much for progress" indeed. Asshats are comparing restricting guns that "won't stop people from killing others just because guns are restricted" excuse to banning miniskirts will not stop rape. How the fuck do miniskirts cause people to die? :angry-cussingblack:

[RosyDaisy]

This makes my blood boil.

[BoomerLynn]

:angry-screaming: :angry-banghead:

I am beyond sick of all the victim-blaming.

[Fundie Lite]

If wearing revealing clothing caused rapes, I would expect the vast majority of rapes to occur at beaches, where a huge concentration of scantily clad women congregate. I've never heard of there being a disproportionate number of rapes at beaches. It's like these people who come up with these kind of restrictions don't think things through in any kind of logical fashion.

[Dysfundamental]

Swaziland is an absolute monarchy, and its king has horrible, horrible misogynist ideas. He's very resistant to Westernization (hence ban on miniskirt) but a [link=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/swaziland-virgins-parade_n_1853322.html]public parade of young virgins[/link] to celebrate chastity in traditional attire of neckpiece, hip ruff, and nothing else is the height of civic virtue.

I should say that I'm certainly not meaning to say that the traditional Swazi ceremonial attire is immodest. But neither are miniskirts or tank tops!

[wtfrenchtoast]

Some of the comments are making me stabby.

[DifferentGurl]

Swaziland is an absolute monarchy, and its king has horrible, horrible misogynist ideas. He's very resistant to Westernization (hence ban on miniskirt) but a [link=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/04/swaziland-virgins-parade_n_1853322.html]public parade of young virgins[/link] to celebrate chastity in traditional attire of neckpiece, hip ruff, and nothing else is the height of civic virtue.

I should say that I'm certainly not meaning to say that the traditional Swazi ceremonial attire is immodest. But neither are miniskirts or tank tops!

Also, around 2001, in order to curb the HIV/AIDS rate in his country, the king banned unmarried girls from having sex for five years. Those under 18 had to wear yellow and blue tassels around the neck like a scarf ( called Umchwasho ) and those over 19 had to wear red and black tassels. The new laws barely affected boys and men.

...and then only two months after the ban, the King wedded a 17 year old. He paid the fine of one cow and he continued on with the ban.

Obviously, it didn't work. It has the highest AIDS rate in the world, with 25% of the population having it. Girls will find a way to have sex with a guy, even if they have to sneak out to do it.

Also, girls weren't allowed to wear slacks ( or maybe they still aren't allowed to wear slacks...? ) and they weren't allowed to shake hands with boys. Hmmm....maybe JimBob should move his family to Swaziland. :lol:

Yea, the king really is controversial ( to put it very nicely ). Not surprised he banned miniskirts.

If you can to learn more about what is going on, I suggest watching the movie "Without the King". It's a bit one-sided because it bashing the king mostly, but it's still pretty good.

[AVENues]

So miniskirts are banned in Swaziland.

Then, would someone kindly explain this picture to me?!

NSFW!

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/world/swazilands-virgins-dance-for-king-20110830-1jk7t.html

:evil: :roll: :?: I'm so confused now that I'm wondering if I have been drinking without remembering it.

[AVENues]

As to miniskirts, I never wear them. I always wear long stuff. I feel really sorry for all the women out there that have to put up with all that sh!te for wearing mini stuff. I could not. OK, I won't lie here. I have had so many ugly pervs creeping on me while wearing shorts and all that, that honestly, I'm afraid it would take just one more to knife the next perv. I wear stuff like mennonites minus the hat. It has really reduced the amount of wolfcalls, but it will never ever eliminate them entirely. Pervs will be pervs. It is not the miniskirt that makes them a creep. They are already a creep and just the thought of a woman will bring the worst out of them.

[lilith]

In my experience, clothes make no difference.

As a buxom young woman I was harassed equally by men wether I was wearing a mini skirt or the long flowy skirts I loved at that age.

[DifferentGurl]

So miniskirts are banned in Swaziland.

Then, would someone kindly explain this picture to me?!

NSFW!

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/world/swazilands-virgins-dance-for-king-20110830-1jk7t.html

:evil: :roll: :?: I'm so confused now that I'm wondering if I have been drinking without remembering it.

The king is a hypocrite, plain and simple. He married a 17 year old while at the same time he banned sex for five years. He bans miniskirts while at the same time watches bare-chested young virgins dancing for him. Hypocrite, hypocrite. Plaim and simple.

[AVENues]

I really did figure that much, but I just had to post that picture. I am quite familiar with many tribes in this world, but I googled them just to find a good example that I could share. I did not know that teh "king" was married to a teen... thanks for that one though.

[debrand]

I just watched Without The King on Netflix. There is a big gap between the king's luxurious life and the average person in Swaziland. His eldest daughter, Princess Pashu has spoken out against polygamy.

"

Polygamy brings all advantages in a relationship to men, and this to me is unfair and evil".

http://askville.amazon.com/princess-sik ... d=10041855

[kb2]

For as long as this topic has been on the front page, I've been reading the title as "Switzerland" and thinking very badly of the wrong country.

On the one hand, if the monarchy made the rule at least that means they have an idiot in charge and it's not a problem with popular opinion. On the other hand, I'm not holding out much hope that popular opinion wouldn't support a miniskirt ban in some parts of the U.S., so my faith in humanity has not been restored.

[BlackHawk]

For as long as this topic has been on the front page, I've been reading the title as "Switzerland" and thinking very badly of the wrong country.

On the one hand, if the monarchy made the rule at least that means they have an idiot in charge and it's not a problem with popular opinion. On the other hand, I'm not holding out much hope that popular opinion wouldn't support a miniskirt ban in some parts of the U.S., so my faith in humanity has not been restored.

Yeah I was right there with you. I really thought the Swiss were going weird on me!

I don't understand how there are still places that think things like mini skirts cause rapes. But I suppose it doesn't surprise me... there are always people who want to try to "reason" away something instead of just saying "Some people are bad, they do wretched things for reasons that aren't outwardly obvious".

[EyeQueue]

Here's an article that lists some foolproof ways that rape can be avoided:

m.guardiannews.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/21/how-to-prevent-sexual-assault

ETA: Describes some situations that could be triggery.

[Chowder Head]

Bad people do bad things. Period. Its a horrible act of domience and power. Rape isn't about what your wearing. Just argggh. Unfortunally, women and girls/ boys get victiumized not just by thier rapest/ molester but by media and polictical heads. Just enough.

[veron1que]

So miniskirts are banned in Swaziland.

Then, would someone kindly explain this picture to me?!

NSFW!

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/world/swazilands-virgins-dance-for-king-20110830-1jk7t.html

:evil: :roll: :?: I'm so confused now that I'm wondering if I have been drinking without remembering it.

what an ass.

On a completely unrelated note, I always wonder about the lives of African who have albinism (there is one pictured). Depressingly, they are often killed for body parts due to the magical powers witch doctors claim they possess.

[DifferentGurl]

what an ass.

On a completely unrelated note, I always wonder about the lives of African who have albinism (there is one pictured). Depressingly, they are often killed for body parts due to the magical powers witch doctors claim they possess.

I know it's been happening in Tanzania. Don't know if that's also happening in Swaziland.

[fundifugee]

Swaziland is a hot mess of misogyny.

However, to give a little perspective:

I lived two years in East Africa. There, after attending church with another foreign female who made the mistake of wearing an above the knee skirt, we were kindly told by a friend that showing the back of one's knees "in Africa" (his words) was equivalent to showing one's breasts in North America. In the countries where I lived, breasts were not any more sexual than ankles or necks are to us - they are pretty, they have a function, but not crazy sexy so that they can't be shown in public. However, the backs of knee are crazy sexy.

So, before we go all indignant on the Swazis (although I recognize there are any number of reasons to do so, but about this...), perhaps we should consider that women go topless with some frequency there and it is not a big deal. They might well think that we are repressed/oppressed freaks because we don't let women out of the house without a shirt, preferably a bra as well.

[not that I am being an apologist or agreeing in any way that what someone wears can provoke rape.]

[Dysfundamental]

That was the point I was trying to make---the idea that miniskirts "provoke rape" whereas the traditional attire for the reed-dance would not (if the hip garment were a skirt, it would be a micro-mini) is a pretty clear indication that this is about combating Westernization, not because the knee and lower thigh are particularly tabu in Swaziland. Exposed thighs in traditional attire? Lovely public celebration of virtue. Exposed thighs in Western fashions? Ebil.

[veron1que]

I know it's been happening in Tanzania. Don't know if that's also happening in Swaziland.

There have been a few incidents in Swaziland (not nearly to the same degree as in Tanzania or Burundi) and to the credit of the Police in Swaziland, they have taken steps to protect future incidents from happening.

I always find in interesting how different cultures view symbols of virginity, fundie America wouldn't dream of virgins dancing around topless. Personally, I also find it bizarre how obsessed cultures are with virginity in women, I don't really understand why it matters, but that's just my privileged western 21st century feminism talking.

[Artemis]

Virginity matters because in a patriarchal agrarian community, if a man was going to commit to providing for his offspring, then he wanted to be damn sure the offspring were his. This is the historical perspective, obviously. When a baby is born it's obvious who the mother is. Men, however, have no obvious guarantee that they are providing for the continuation of their own DNA other than ensuring that no other man has fucked, is fucking, or will fuck their woman. Hence all the massively misogynistic rules and regs in such societies, societies like biblical Israel.

It's all about the genetic imperative and economic pragmatism.