It is legal for women to go around topless, at least in ny it is. anyways, I agree with the message of this patch, mostly. The oppression of women in the middle east is by FAR much worse though than anywhere else. To the person who said that the burka is not oppressive to women: why don't you tell that to the women who get flogged for accidentally showing an ankle. I'd say about 98% of pornography is demeaning to women but I think what the message here is that things like pornography and using womens bodies to sell products is still treating women like meat even if it is there choice to participate in it. tw

this is really clever. notclever

How is Porn, sex work and other sexploitation not capitalist oppression? When we live in a utopia we'll see but in the meantime back in reality land women are forced to do this type of work to get by or just plain ol forced. Is it more important to protect one womens right to sell her body at the expense of another women being forced into sexual slavery? Or is it more important to protect women from sexual slavery at the expense of some women who want to "choose" sex work? Whats so good about this patch is that it makes you think about what true "choice" is and how its not about covering or lack of covering being an oppression but being forced to be either at that womens expense for someone elses gain. J

if you look at the world or even the country, you could easily say that the vast vast majority of porn is nothing good at all. capitalist and often demeaning, objectifying and creating ridiculous standards. but i wouldn't judge a sex worker, even if she does it not out of economic necessity, and believes that she is empowered, that it's great cos she's helping redistribute the wealth from a lot of middle class middle aged white guys. even she i wouldn't judge because there are a hell of a lot of jobs out there that have much more negative impacts than porn does or prostitution for that matter. and let me make clear that by judge i mean "she's contributing to capitalism, sexism, etc" and NOT "she's a whore". 99% of the people who post comments around here would not think that at all. that said, it's not hypocritical to say that women should be able to do with their bodies as they please and also not like porn; hello, most women in porn would rather be doing something else if money were no object in this world. and p.s. NO ONE IS SAYING THAT BIKINIS AND MINISKIRTS SHOULD BE BANNED! no one is even saying that porn should either! say no to ridiculous posts!! p.p.s. lipstick lesbian, that second sentence about women going around topless made me laugh out loud. tommy

i completely disagree with a burka being oppression. it is no man that said that it is required for a woman to wear it, and women who wear it and understand the meaning of it are the ones who can best defend it. what i don't understand is that many love to spend hours in front of the mirror and love exposing themselves to the public (yes...sure it is your choice what you wear) but when a man were to oogle at you or make a lewd comment, i'd say practically everywoman would be against such comments. men can wear clothes as loose as they want, but when women do, it is called 'oppression'. personally, i don't see how 'independance and freedom' can be parallel with mini skirts and tight shirts. my body is MINE and no one has rights to look upon it as they please peace Naureen

in response to izzerwurst's comment about all porn being capitalist, sexist shit; i couldn't disagree more. 'pornography' as defined in webster's new world dictionary: "writings, pictures, etc intended primarily to arouse sexual desire." that's the entire definition right there. what's so wrong with that? just because corporate media controls much of what is visible out there today in the pornography world doesn't mean that is what such work is limited to. i encourage everyone to look deeper into sex work, sex worker's rights, feminists working as sex workers, etc...there are two sides to every coin & we absolutely cannot afford to let corporate mainstream bullshit define waht our sexual desires should be limited to, including something as often misunderstood as pornography & sex work. lets redefine this shit on our own fucking terms! an amazing book on the subject: whores & other feminists FIND THIS BOOK & READ IT bitchell

i like bikinis. and i like this patch. because it makes you think, and everone should do a little more of that. i just sewed it on my sweatshirt 20 minutes ago. thanks izzerwurst. you did a good job. cougar

"What's next? Telling woman they can't wear a bathing suit because it shows off skin? Now we have to stay hidden because you guys decide what' demeaning for us? Should there be a patch that says something generalizing about men? Would it even happen?" good comment. and interesting bc the woman on the right is wearing a burka. that idea that men will decide for women (or ANY extended group deciding for an individual) what is and is not appropriate is what puts women in burkas. it is controlling a womans sexuality. fuck it. if i want to wear a mini skirt then that is MY choice. its no ones right to force me to wear anything different. not even bc they see it as demeaning, or because its not safe -ie 'women get raped because they dress slutty.' this is, however, not addressing the main point of the patch, which is that society constructs an unrealistic social norm for womens sexuality. mila

I think these are all great comments, I do agree that SOME women do have a choice to make their own decisions and that this decision making process needs to be honored. However, I think you are all leaving out a huge piece of the story of women, in particular: Indigenous women, and women of colour who experience extreme forms of systemic poverty, racism, and oppression who do NOT have a choice because the inherent poverty of this caplitalist system forces. margainalized women out of the mainstream and into sexual exploitation and jobs that are not picked by their own choice. This is especially true for girls that have become homeless due to sexual abuse in the home....Not ALL women have choices in this society....even in so called "rich and wealthy" nations like Canada. I love the patch and I think it speaks volumes about oppression. I want to use the idea for a book we are working on about oppression of girls living in poverty and in prison..... Ange, Gitxsan nation

Telling a woman that if she willing and freely wants to engage in a sex video or occupation that she is wrong and should be stopped is no better than a man telling his wife, girlfriend, sister, or daughter that she can't and can't do. One of my problems with any alternative community. Woman are still being labeled, still being degraded and still being made to feel like shit for any decision that they make. That's still a form of oppression. What's next? Telling woman they can't wear a bathing suit because it shows off skin? Now we have to stay hidden because you guys decide what' demeaning for us? Should there be a patch that says something generalizing about men? Would it even happen? anonymous

I designed this patch and it isn't even ABOUT 'sex workers' -- it's trying to draw a comparison between two oppressive societies/cultural norms. However, porn is capitalist, sexist, racist SHIT no matter who makes it, male or female. Get over yourselves -- fruit from the poisoned tree! izzerwurst

I agree that there should be a patch that supports smart, educated sex workers. I'm an avid feminist, AND I make porn. But I do it for ME, not for money or for men or for power. I think this kind of judgement of the sex industry just supports the thinking that if a woman feels comfortable posing nude, she's automatically a whore and degrading herself. I mean, of course everyone is entitled to their opinion and plenty of people judge me beacuse of my role in the sex industry, but they generally change their mind when they read my zines or get to know ANYTHING about WHY I, and my models are doing this. Bella Vendetta

Since it is apparently such a debatable topic, I think it would be cool to balance out things by making a sticker/patch/shirt that is supportive of sex workers. Not all feminists are anti-sex work; all sides of the issue should be represented. rogue

Women should be allowed to do what they wish with their bodies, but I think most pornography is very demeaning to women. In my opinion, a mature intelligent woman wouldn't be part of something demeaning to her gender no matter the price, and a mature intelligent man wouldn't watch someone else being demeaned - even if that person was being paid handsomely. It also gives men a bad image in woman's eyes that there's this billion $ porn industry out there. Women think that men just want "one thing". I think most men secretly wish they owned their own personal harem of nubile teen love-slaves, clad head to toe in black when in public, and doing all the cooking and house-work. But come on guys, get over it, move on, grow up - put down the adolescent fantasies and GET A LIFE! It's so much more gratifying to live the real world. raf

In a perfect world, yes, women would go topless. i cant ell you how much I woud enjoy that. However, it gets pretty cold in some parts of the world...;). Anyway, why shouldn't women or men for that matter be free to use their bodies as they please? I'm nto saying I would take part in, solicite, or invest in something like a porno, but it makes me angry when people go to extremes and say its entirely negative for a woman to be feminine in a way that is entirely cliche. In short, practice what you preach...if feminism dictates the freedom and tolerance of female rights, then that freedom ought to include the right to be ditzy, empty-headed cheerleeding barbie or a lumberjack dyke. If people would simply learn to accept people without making assumptions based on how those around them dress or project their opinions, we'd all get along much better, don't you think? If a girl is comfortable with a low cut sweater and a tiny skirt because she thinks it's sexy, all the power to her. lipstick lesbian

So, should women be allowed to go topless? Or would giving them that right be objectifying them? anonymous

the freedom TO BE a woman is the the central idea of a feminist movement... or at least it used to be. Anyway, there's nothing oppressive about a woman expressing her sexuality, either by refusing to wear make up and being hard core by being a sex worker or even a model. i agree "at least they made a choice". there's nothing wrong with looking mainstream or blending in... it's opressive to judge people by their ethnicity or the clothes or make up they're into in the first place. Some of you people really need to sort out your opinions, I think if you thought more about what you said you'd get a little more personal perspective on feminism as a whole. lipstick lesbian

please, Please, PLEASE make this a t-shirt!!!!!! anonymous

I didn't look at the woman on the left and see her as the embodiment of the porn industry. I can see how people interpreted it that way but to me, I just saw her as (skinny and white) the american pop-culture standard of beauty, which is pretty fucking oppressive. violet

"people not being reduced to objects"; are you serious? p. makhno

I dont dislike sex workers, but i never quite understood how an exotic dancer can say "I am subverting myself and taking money from old pervs" when the old pervs just think some girl is dancing for them. I beleive that it is fun and sexy to show men and women of all shapes, forms, and sexual "deviancies", but the entire audience isn't going to be as enlightened. In any case, I thought the patch was showing a model, and there is a definite difference between a sex worker and a mainstream model, i think most can at least agree on that. miranda

You can't argue that just because you dont know someone's REASONS for being in a porn that it is automatically a bad thing. If you dont know their reasons then you dont know if the reasons were bad OR good. At least THEY made the decision, thats what matters. If you surpress people showing off their own bodies how can you argue oppression is evil? You can't say its ok to express yourself unless you're expressing yourself in a mainstream/"socially acceptable" manner, because then you're just as bad as them, worse actually because now you're being ignorant and hypocritcal as well instead of just arrogant enough to impose your beliefes on others anonymous

Porn ... the problem is in most instances you just can't know why the women (or men, or whatever) involved are involved, and that goes for genderqueer/porn for dykes/non stereotypical/etc as well as mainstream ... looking at photos or watching a film, I don't know those people's backgrounds, what's going through their heads, why they've made the choices they've made, and if those choices have been liberating or if they've been damaging. To assume it was an inherently healthy decision simply because it may be in some way counter-cultural is to say that counter-culture people are immune to money problems, insecurities, the effects of a culture of objectification, pressure to do things they might not want to, and on and on and on with the things we know plague the mainstream porn industry. What it is is saying as consumers we don't have to take responsibility for that so long as there is the appearance of what we consider healthy. And that's just not cool. M

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the West has been undergoing a trend towards less and less body coverage required in female dress. This has been paralleled by a rise in feminism, women’s rights, and sexual equality. But just because these trends have mirrored each other, does not mean that they are inherently linked. One would be hard-pressed to find a feminist who believes that the new Western standard of beauty, with revealing fashions that require an unattainably thin and manufactured body, is entirely liberating. The picture of a woman in a bikini, or a woman in a mini-skirt and heels, or whatever, does not represent political, social, or economic freedom. Nevertheless, that image has become the measure of comparison between “Western sexual liberation” and “Eastern sexist tyranny.” --from the essay I wrote about sexist Western images (paintings and news photos) of North African and Middle Eastern women, inspired by this patch. Awesome, thanks. Kyla!

Woah! How can you say that porn is wrong porn is MEDIA, and MEDIA CAN BE MANIPULATED TO YOUR LIKING. There are a ton of sex workers and models doing what they love and using porn to smash preconceived notions of what is sexy and what is porn. and they are doing it consentually and not for the average porn demographic. I agree alot of male marketed porn is mysoginist and really fucking vile, but what about porn for dykes, genderqueer kids, and transfolk? Porn including people of color acting as people and not ethnocentric streotypes? people not being reduced to objects? Please next time before you go trying to ban and hate on a whole media form, learn about it besides what you see on mtv. Ari

i feel porn and using women to make money is wrong, because, though the women participating may consent and have no problem with it, it teaches men to objectify ALL women, not just those who wish to be involved. it also gives ridiculous standards and body images that normal people cannot measure up to. ambre

i agree that alot of the time its making money off of women and men, but it seems a little hypocritical to spout your opinions about women being able to do whatever they wish with their bodies and then say porn is wrong. kira

This is PERFECT. I say all the time that the western industry of using women's bodies as commodities or to sell other commodities is just the other side of the same oppressive, degrading coin as the Taliban's treatment of women. Put this on a T-shirt, I beg you. Jo

You know what doesn't make sense to me? When I hear people say exploitation is wrong, but then they go and watch a porno. jesus