Men Are Wearing Skirts To Support Brave Woman Who Died Fighting Rapist
Men in Turkey and Azerbaijan are sharing photos of themselves wearing miniskirts to protest the attempted rape and subsequent murder of 20-year-old Ozgecan Aslan in Turkey.
The social media trend, represented by the hashtag #OzgecanIcinMiniEtekGiy (which translates to “wear a miniskirt for Ozgecan”), started in Azerbaijan and quickly spread to Turkey.
Over 1,500 social media users have participated in the digital show of solidarity so far.
The overarching message of the campaign is one of support for women's rights and freedoms.
On Facebook, one participant explained the reasoning behind the social media campaign, BBC reports. The user wrote:
If a miniskirt is responsible for everything, if wearing a miniskirt means immorality and unchastity, if a woman who wears a miniskirt is sending an invitation about what will happen to her, then we are also sending an invitation!
Protests around Turkey have been ongoing since Aslan's mutilated body was found in a creek on February 14.
Earlier this week, another social media trend took hold — this one among women — which urged survivors of abuse to tell their stories (#SendeAnlat).
The hashtag is an effort to start a nationwide conversation about the abuse and violence women face every day.
Hopefully, these grassroots efforts will lead to positive social change, and to an improved society in which women are granted the same rights and freedoms as men.
Eylem gibi eylem #EteğiniGiyTaksimeGel bu tagı kullanalım dostlar. pic.twitter.com/Kp5h4RpoxX — RedHack ETC (@RedHackETC) February 17, 2015
Turkish men wear skirts to protest vilifying comments humiliate women. #EteğiniGiyTaksimeGel #ozgecanicinminietekgiy pic.twitter.com/sKZ7N624vv — Zambak Tukan (@ZambakTukan) February 18, 2015
In Röcken haben Männer in Istanbul gegen Gewalt an Frauen protestiert #ozgecanicinminietekgiy http://t.co/j2L4XhU0Yt pic.twitter.com/OKQ9bb9U5g — SPIEGEL ONLINE (@SPIEGELONLINE) February 22, 2015
تحية تقدير لهؤلا،المرأة هي نصف المجتمع لذا يجب الوقوف في وجه كل من يقيد حريتها #ÖzgecanAslan #ozgecanicinminietekgiy pic.twitter.com/zDUlzMmPF3 — محمد عبد العزيز (@medamine198731) February 21, 2015
Citations: Men in Miniskirts Campaign for Womens Rights (BBC News), Men Are Wearing Miniskirts To Protest The Killing Of A Woman Who Fought Off A Rapist (Buzzfeed)
