It’s not about how women should look; it’s about how they should be looked at. In a good news, London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has said that any image that could cause body positivity issues would be removed from areas throughout the city. The move comes after the “Beach Body” ad that asked women to get in shape for the summer outraged feminists last year.
“No one’s confidence or body image should be undermined by ads on our transport system”, Khan said. Understandably, his move has stirred quite a controversy and war of words on social media. From political leaders to social activists, women supporters to male chauvinists, and students to celebrities, all have their opinions as to why the mayor went for this. Is it his Muslim upbringing or a people pleasing move?
For all good reasons, people need not get caught up on speculating what’s in Mr Khan’s mind. Intentions don’t always matter when it comes to a visibly good move. Historically, at times, well-intended moves have caused chaos in society and ill-intended ones have done wonders.
London’s Muslim Mayor Bans Ads with Attractive Women – Infowars
According to the Evening Standard, the new policy “is only expected to affect a handful of the 12,000 adverts a year which run across the network, including at bus shelters and on-street sites.” The Standard made specific mention of the infamous “Beach Body” ad which outraged feminists late last year.
“An advertisement that encouraged women to get in shape for the summer has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority after feminists complained the commercial was an example of ‘fat shaming’ and threatened to bomb the headquarters of the company behind it,” Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson wrote at the time. Khan, who has two daughters of his own, defended the policy by stating that he was extremely concerned by advertising that can “demean people, particularly women, and make them ashamed of their bodies.
“Nobody should feel pressurised, while they travel on the Tube or bus, into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies and I want to send a clear message to the advertising industry about this.” (Source: London’s Muslim Mayor Bans Ads with Attractive Women » Alex Jones’ Infowars: There’s a war on for your mind!)
Modesty is an essential element of a civilized society. This is a no brainer but the monstrous advertising and fashion industry has used women’s beauty in abominable ways to attract attention.
It is sad that although there are numerous groups that protest against exploitation of women, when women are encouraged to strip in the name of being bold and modern, hardly anyone raises voice. And those who attempt to do so are quickly labelled as fanatics, fundamentalists and so on.
Today’s movie industry is another evil that women are becoming victims of. Unscrupulous men have invented various ways to allure women to join the industry so that they can enjoy their company in the name of providing them with fame and freedom. Women are systematically brainwashed to think that success will follow them simply by shedding clothes. This has destroyed countless happy families.
Peer pressure is another menace destroying women’s modesty and chastity. Propaganda machines have affected people’s psychology so severely that teenage girls and women are forced to do things that they wouldn’t like to get into on their own.
Bhagavad Gita verses 1.40-42 clearly stats what happens to the society when women are misled.
adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ
strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ
saṅkaro narakāyaiva kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca
patanti pitaro hy eṣāṁ lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ
doṣair etaiḥ kula-ghnānāṁ varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ
utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ kula-dharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ
We can see all this happening in the world today. Religion is considered outdated, families are broken, unwanted population is on the rise and adultery is becoming a way of daily life.
Srila Prabhupada says in the purport that good population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. On the failure of a God centered social system, “naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence.”
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that governments across the world come down heavily on the above mentioned industries and enforce stringent laws preventing use of women as a money-making and sense gratifying tool. Let sanity prevail.
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