Femen's Acquittal: A Pussy Riot

September 11, 2014

    Just when it seemed things could not get much sillier in France, the Paris criminal court acquitted nine members of Femen, the radical feminist group, of willfully damaging one of the bells of Notre Dame in celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation announcement.

     Inna Shevchenko, a comely Ukrainian blonde, founded Femen to protest against Vladmir Putin's efforts to suborn democracy in Ukraine.  The protests take an unlikely form, but one guaranteed to arouse the media:  Femen's  commandos expose their breasts.

     There is something further to be said about that breast exposure: that is, that from the video I saw of what happened at Notre Dame, it seems only women with great-looking breasts can be members of Femen.

     Not that their rear ends look terrible, either.  In the Notre Dame video, the nine young woman stomp towards the bell displayed at ground level in their black overcoats, boots and black "boy briefs", before casting the former aside.  To reveal naked torsos onto which have been painted in black capital letters slogans such as "Bye Bye Benoît"  and "Pope No More".

     The former teacher of constitutional law in me remembers that the content of the message (with rare exceptions) is protected under American law, but the dissemination of the message can be subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.  Had French law some kind of similar framework with which to address free speech issues, Femen might not have walked out of court unscathed.

     Perhaps the prosecutor chose the wrong approach in seeking to reprimand Femen.: Public protests have to have permits to be legal, and Femen --which prefers the spontaneous approach-- surely didn't have one.  Also, public protests have never taken the form Femen's do --more theatre, more agitprop, than the typical manifestation, with its thousands of people marching in the street.

      Rather, Femen's protests involve a very few women, all nubile, most wearing brightly-colored flower garlands in their hair.  In their defense, they take an equal-opportunity outlook towards their targets, outraging Muslims as well as Catholics, if not Vladimir Putin.  The strip-your shirt-off-and-nail-your-adversary approach reminds me of the spy spoof Modesty Blaise: she too, took her top off to "nail" her enemy.  The attractiveness of Femen's militants means Femen generates publicity wherever it   shows up, attracting photographers snapping shots worthy of Pirelli calendars.

       Inna Shevchenko looked like a cat who had swallowed all the cream when she walked out of court yesterday.  With her great looks set off by the flower garland, I was reminded of Ilona Staller, la Cicciolina, the Italian porno star who used to be married to Jeff Koons.  Koons and Staller had themselves photographed in various sexual positions for a photo series called Made In Heaven, for which Koons, at least was "enhanced".

       Koons is a millionaire artist and Staller remains active in Italian politics.  Their willingness to be provocateurs has proved lucrative for both.  I wonder whether Shevchenko and Femen are not following their playbook, blending self-promotion into the message.  It is arguable that the women of Femen, and in particular, Shevchenko, become more the focus of attention than the message to which they are purportedly devoted.  If true, wouldn't that be a Pussy Riot?