WOMAN STRIPS NAKED IN PROTEST
Written by Thembi Terry Zulu
Here’s the thing, men mostly give us attention when we are naked. The female body is a sign of a struggle. It’s a gift and a curse. Truth or lie? The women that are getting the most attention right now in the world are the most naked e.g Nicki Minaj. How many women shot to fame after they stripped naked? Halle Berry was the first black woman to win an Oscar after stripping naked in Monster’s Ball. How about Lupita? Just recently Kim Kardashian broke the internet with her enhanced derriere.
Strip protest is harnessing the attention that the female body already receives to deliver a message. But here’s the thing with hypocrisy, a woman can get naked to make money and for other selfish gains and the entertainment of men but when she uses the same method to prove a point there’s pandemonium. To demonstrate it’s power we’ll dig into history, Lady Godiva, was a 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to a legend dating back at least to the 13th century, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants. And lo and behold, her naked horse ride worked.
I’m all for women that do what it takes to get the job done but don’t sign me up for strip protest. I’m still dealing with my body issues not ready for public viewing. In conservative, staunch Christian Zimbabwe, however, this hogwash will not fly.
News headlines and culture have ruined the idea of a naked woman. A naked woman is perceived as a bad omen. When you read most of our newspapers more often than not, a naked woman is linked to witchcraft and all sorts of rubbish. In the book about Tshaka Zulu, a war was actually cancelled just because the King’s mother had stripped in front of her son. They thought, “This is such a strong omen, clearly if we go to war we shall surely die.”
Well, there goes the hope of a nude beach in Zimbabwe.
Check out the rest of Thembie’s amazing articles on her blog @ thembieterry.co.zw
