I think that this is an issue where people conflate a whole bunch of things.
First, an individual who chooses to wear clothing that covers more than the societal norm is not necessarily oppressed by a spouse, a religion, or anything else, and that holds true whether or not the person finds the rationale for her/his apparel in religion or not.
Secondly, the juvenile references to female breasts are a big part of the problem. Why does any woman want to subject herself to that kind of thing by wearing a bikini?
Third, we should recognize that even in Western culture, what is seen as an erotic part of a woman's anatomy has changed over time and with varying fashion. There was a time when extremely low cut dresses were the norm, yet an ankle was not to be displayed.
Which brings me to the overarching problem, and that is the emphasis on physical appearance when it comes to women. It's not just ultra conservative Islam cultures that are at fault here; Western culture is every bit as much at fault. I would argue that a hijab is much less uncomfortable, and certainly less likely to affect health negatively, than four or five inch heels. (I also doubt the comfort of bikini bottoms that the wearers have to pull out of their butt cracks every few minutes, a phenomenon much on display dring the women's beach volleyball games at the Olympics.)
For the record, I think that it's ridiculous that we treat the sight of women's breasts differently than men's breasts, that anyone wears high heeled shoes and/or pointy shoes (or any shoes that aren't comfortable and easy to walk in and that don't deform feet or are a tripping hazard). I also think it's ridiculous that people wear uncomfortable clothes (such as ties, clothes that are too tight for comfort and/or inhibit movement, etc.)
Humans conform to a lot of silly notions when it comes to apparel, but we seem to only become aware of that when those notions are not part of our own societal norms.
First, an individual who chooses to wear clothing that covers more than the societal norm is not necessarily oppressed by a spouse, a religion, or anything else, and that holds true whether or not the person finds the rationale for her/his apparel in religion or not.
Secondly, the juvenile references to female breasts are a big part of the problem. Why does any woman want to subject herself to that kind of thing by wearing a bikini?
Third, we should recognize that even in Western culture, what is seen as an erotic part of a woman's anatomy has changed over time and with varying fashion. There was a time when extremely low cut dresses were the norm, yet an ankle was not to be displayed.
Which brings me to the overarching problem, and that is the emphasis on physical appearance when it comes to women. It's not just ultra conservative Islam cultures that are at fault here; Western culture is every bit as much at fault. I would argue that a hijab is much less uncomfortable, and certainly less likely to affect health negatively, than four or five inch heels. (I also doubt the comfort of bikini bottoms that the wearers have to pull out of their butt cracks every few minutes, a phenomenon much on display dring the women's beach volleyball games at the Olympics.)
For the record, I think that it's ridiculous that we treat the sight of women's breasts differently than men's breasts, that anyone wears high heeled shoes and/or pointy shoes (or any shoes that aren't comfortable and easy to walk in and that don't deform feet or are a tripping hazard). I also think it's ridiculous that people wear uncomfortable clothes (such as ties, clothes that are too tight for comfort and/or inhibit movement, etc.)
Humans conform to a lot of silly notions when it comes to apparel, but we seem to only become aware of that when those notions are not part of our own societal norms.
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