Martha Muzychka: Body autonomy – The Telegram

As well, you may have seen the photos from several beaches in countries with ultra-conservative Islamic governments where men are seen admonishing women for wearing too little.

Not to be outdone, the United States has had its own issues with dress over the last eight years with First Lady Michelle Obama and her love of sleeveless dresses. Clearly the right to bare arms is not one supported by certain factions.

It’s also been back to school time for the past two weeks in the United States and this week in Canada, so there’s been lots of discussion about what hairstyles are appropriate, what kinds of clothes (mostly girls) should or can wear, and whether or not traditional dress or symbols are permitted in secular environments.

Young black women in the U.S. have had their hairstyles policed, so no braids, Afros, or other black hairstyles. Aboriginal students are encountering similar challenges. Mini dresses with leggings are out as well, along with spaghetti straps or anything that might reveal a bra strap, given their high propensity to lead young men astray through distraction and temptation (insert heavy eye-rolling here).

And it’s not just fashion. If you are female, your body is public property. A friend recently told of how she unexpectedly encountered a clerk while shopping, who put both arms around her and fondled her pregnant belly. Others have recounted how their hair — ringlets, pin curls, locks, dreads, braids, etc. — has been stroked or pulled.

Think it only happens in public spaces? Think again. Last month the Internet was agog when Playboy model Dani Mathers took a picture of a nude woman in her gym’s shower and posted it publicly on her social network with the bodyshaming comment: “If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either!”

While public attention brings consequences to bear on these incidents — France’s highest court overturned the burkini ban, many schools have backtracked on their dress/hair codes especially when shown to be racist in foundation, Mathers was kicked out of the gym nationwide, the shop apologized to my friend, etc. — the continuing lack of respect for women’s body autonomy is astounding.

Nothing seems to change. Women are treated as public property, and most times any protest is seen as trivial, or there’s a hierarchy of dismay dependent on the level of violation. In the case of pregnant women getting their bellies touched, if it wasn’t a stranger, it would be OK. If you didn’t have trauma, it would be OK. If it wasn’t physically uncomfortable, then it’s OK.

You know what? It isn’t OK, regardless of the reason, preference, level of acquaintance, whatever. If you do not want your body to be touched — pregnant or not — that is your right. If you like wearing bright colours, plain colours, sparkles, or plain button-downs, and you feel comfortable, safe, fabulous, or just happily yourself in your fashion choices, celebrate it.

If you’d feel more comfortable in a full-piece suit, or even a burkini, great. If you want to wear the skimpiest of swimwear, fabulous. Want to wear your hair in braids because you are proud of your aboriginal heritage? Yes please. Want to wear it short because you like it, and you don’t care what’s feminine or masculine? Fill your boots.

Body and fashion policing has to go the way of the dodo. Erin McKean put it best when she wrote: “You don’t have to be pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.’”

Martha Muzychka is a writer and consultant living in St. John’s. E-mail: socialnotes@gmail.com.

from Hairstylez http://cityhairstyle.xyz/martha-muzychka-body-autonomy-the-telegram/