The Female Form

I was looking at the news yesterday on the BBC News site and found three somewhat related articles on the first page of the World News section. I found the breadth of news relating to women and how they are portrayed to be intriguing.

A discussion of the revolting use of FGM treatment on young girls in Africa was right next to an article about the return of "Girl Power". And not too far away was an article about how not only is there going to be a witchcraft conference, but that it some regions of the world women are still labeled and killed for being witches. It seemed to be an odd series of articles and topics.

The first article covered the announcement that a complete ban is finally going to be enforced against FGM in Egypt after social unrest stemming from the recent death of a 12-year old girl following the procedure. The article mentions the practice is not common in the rest of the Muslim world, but is mainly an Egyptian (North African) practice and is believed to be founded in ancient Egyptian tradition. Sounds to me like they just want to give "legitimacy" to something that is revolting, dangerous, disfiguring, and completely aimed at keeping women subordinate in the sexual realm. The procedure is referred to as "a rite of passage" for the girl.

Next to this article is one about the worldwide return of "Girl Power" aka the Spice Girls aka sex appeal and eye candy. An article that is covering a group that promotes the complete opposite of FGM - a healthy appetite for sex and promoting the female form. Regardless of your views of the musical talent of the five ladies, there is no question they promoted "Girl Power" in the mid-nineties. Strong females out there having fun and being sexy and liking it.

Juxtapose that with an article about how witchcraft is so prevelant that it's getting its own convention. Withcraft is, of course, historically how men dealt with "Girl Power." We killed them. Women with too much power, influence, or knowledge were labelled witches and "put on trial." Harnessing the power of female sexuality could lead men astray, obviously the men were dupped by the power of darkness and the wicked. Unlike FGM, instead of removing a bodily part to destroy a women's sexual freedom, undermining her "girl power" if you will, - a procedure abhorred by the West and human rights organizations worldwide, and rightfully so - at least in the West we made sure to burn, drown, or stone them will all of their "power" intact, right?

image from www.thefrasergallery.com