Cambridge University professor protesting naked

British professor Victoria Bateman says she goes to protests naked not only to raise awareness of the causes she supports, but also to break social norms that view scantily clad women as intellectually inferior.

Professor Victoria Bateman’s day job is to teach economics to students of the University of Cambridge (UK), which is considered one of the best in the world.

And she is also a protester who often appears naked against public order.

“People see me naked and say, ‘Oh she’s stupid, she’s an idiot and she must be crazy.’ I want to face that and say, ‘No, I’m a real thinking being,'” Bateman explains.

“I don’t think having my body on display should make what I have to say less dignified,” she says.

Bateman says an ad for his latest book was banned by Amazon because the cover was deemed “sexually suggestive.”

He says the decision was only reversed after a campaign on social networks. For her, this is an example of society’s thinking that women can’t do what they want with their bodies.

The picture (pictured above) doesn’t show her full body. It’s an enlarged photo showing your belly and the outline of your breasts.

“History teaches us that every explosion of liberalism has been followed by an age of repression: medieval obscenity gave rise to the ‘original’ Puritans; the Georgian era of bouncy breasts gave way to buttoned-up Victorians; and now the sexual revolution paved the way for the culture of purity and censorship of the 21st century”.

defense of nudity

Being naked in public is not a crime in England and Wales unless it can be shown that the person intended to disturb and shock. Those filing a lawsuit must demonstrate this intention.

Bateman vehemently insists his protests are not aggressive.

“My goal is not to derail processes, but rather to draw attention to an issue: whether it’s the lack of women in the economy, the consequences of Brexit for women or attacks on women’s bodily freedoms.”

She says the protests of the nudes also help get people talking about the link between dress and respect.

Animal rights groups have long staged naked protests against the use of animal fur. Environmental groups calling for drastic action to stop climate change have also used nudity in protests. In politics, such protests are less common.

elite university

He was educated in a public school and later attended Cambridge, one of the elite universities in the UK. She studied for a masters and a PhD at Oxford and became a professor at the University of Cambridge.

As a child, Bateman says she was used to wearing modest clothes, but as a teenager, like many girls her age, she started going to parties wearing short skirts, skimpy tops and high heels.

She was annoyed by society’s judgment of girls who show too much of their bodies, as she did herself as a teenager.

Early in her academic career, she felt she was spending too much time with her looks to maintain intellectual respect.

“Why do I get carried away with what some men might think of me? There are far more important things to worry about.”

nudity and freedom

His radical decision to take off his clothes also had an ideological root.

“Female modesty actually harms women. It gives men a lot of power over women. Because the moment you value a woman’s modesty, it gives you the power to undermine her worth, to disrespect her, to treat her women who aren’t considered discreet like mere pieces of meat, why don’t you respect them like any other woman,” she told the BBC.

According to the teacher, these attitudes give rise to a series of oppressions.

“It fuels policies and practices that undermine women’s freedom around the world, from the withdrawal of women from schools in Afghanistan to the compulsory hijab in Iran, along with virginity testing, honor killings and revenge porn.”

protests

10 years ago, Bateman decided to use his position of privilege to do something subversive. She took off her clothes and started posing nude for female artists. She then she started working with male artists

These artistic paintings and sculptures were soon exhibited in public places.

“I’ve noticed how many people have been shocked by my nude portrait in galleries. People are surprised to discover that the nude woman in the painting is an academic.”

She has gained confidence in using her body for political messages and public protests.

As an economist, she is shocked by the dominance of men in her field. To date, for example, only two women have won the Nobel Prize in economics.

She says the lack of female economists has meant that economic analysis is only viewed from a male point of view.

In 2018, he wanted to highlight the topic during the largest meeting of economists in the UK. She walked stark naked into a room full of top academics.

“I’m physically small. I’m not physically very strong. I’m not a threat to anyone. But if you’re naked in a room, people for some reason see you as a threat.”

At that event, she wrote “RESPECT” on her body using a chalkboard pen to draw attention to her protest. As a result, you ended up establishing a dialogue with those present at the gala dinner.

reactions

During the polarized political campaign that culminated in the UK’s exit from the European Union, known as Brexit, he held a naked public protest.

Some onlookers took pictures and posted them on social media, generating nasty comments. Some men have commented on her breasts and pubic hair. Some even speculated that she obtained academic degrees by sleeping with professors.

Some people have told Bateman that he was ruining his academic record by showing the world his body.

“But the most vicious and virulent attacks against me have come from women. A British woman on social media said I was setting feminism back a century.”

He has responded to some of these criticisms and has tried to explain his intentions.

In your new book Nude Feminism – Breaking the cult of female modesty (Naked Feminism: Breaking the Cult of Female Modesty), addresses many of these negative responses.

“I argue that all women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their physical modesty.”

Freedom

The Cambridge academic believes that many women’s lives would change dramatically if we all stopped making assumptions based on how much of our bodies are visible or covered. He gives the example of sex workers.

“We sweep them under the rug. We label them, call them all kinds of awful names, and think they don’t know what they’re doing. And we think we can judge what’s right for them.”

He finds this attitude extraordinarily arrogant and elitist.

“We still have a long way to go in terms of changing the way we think.”

Women do most of the unpaid work, such as cooking, cleaning, fetching food or water, and caring for children and the elderly. The British charity Oxfam says that if women were paid minimum wage for these jobs, the total cost would be over $10 trillion. But this topic is almost not discussed.

Bateman says she appreciates any opportunity to protest naked against powerful men and their policies. He also lectures and attends literary events without clothes.

She says her activism hasn’t affected her classes. In fact, your students are asking more questions about feminism, women, and the economy than ever before.

“My goal is a world where all women are free to do what they want with their bodies and with their brains. I oppose the headscarf ban as much as I oppose the compulsory hijab. Society and the state do not they should dictate what women do with their bodies.”

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.