Lifestyle

Women In Turkey Post Smiling Pictures After Politician Bans Laughing In Public

by Alexia LaFata
Stocksy

Women in the US are victims of the patriarchy. Women in Turkey are victims of Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who told his female citizens that they should stop laughing out loud in public because it causes "moral corruption."

Arinc desires a simpler time, when women didn't gab on the phone about "unnecessary" things or find jokes funny. During a celebration at the end of Ramadan, Arinc said,

A man should be moral but women should be moral as well, they should know what is decent and what is not decent. She should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times.

Rebellious women who refuse to be "decent" have used the hashtag #direnkahkaha -- "resist and laugh" in Turkish -- to post photos of their grinning faces on social media.

#direnkahkaha araba da surerız, kızkıza da gezeriz, kahkaha da atarız. pic.twitter.com/svMpwjZKM9 — benbuoyunubozarım. (@lgncanycl) July 29, 2014
Yoğun istek üzerine #direnkahkaha Arınç' ve avarelerine gelsin... pic.twitter.com/Awc0sjVKEu — Xemrevîn (@zeynebduygu) July 29, 2014
Ha ha start your day with a laughter. We #TurkishWomen are #lol to @bulent_arinc. #direnkahkaha #direnkadin #kahkaha pic.twitter.com/K1kt7fQfLU — SibelGul (@Sibellgul) July 30, 2014
Turkish women LOL in defiance of Deputy Prime Minister http://t.co/mPiwcjrI8t #direnkahkaha #kahkaha pic.twitter.com/R3YwNsDem5 — Pixable (@pixable) July 29, 2014
Women should not laugh in public,' says #Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister in morality speech my response #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/mn6cuRAMVD — فادية الفقير (@FadiaFaqir) July 30, 2014
There is nothing more joyful than to see the laughter of happy people in public so continue ladies! #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/1yQx7ygji3 — Laura Hoare (@LauraHoare_x) July 30, 2014
Laughing with you! Keep on smiling: we don't need sadness to seem serious #kahkaha #direnkahkaha #prowomenrights pic.twitter.com/vHojCn7Vo8 — Silvia Pevato (@SilviaPevato) July 30, 2014
gecen kankamla bi cezbedariz #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/gTFU4yIrc7 — Mehtap Erel (@mehtaperel) July 28, 2014
#direnkahkaha http://t.co/OH3pzAUV2C pic.twitter.com/2B0orjceYx — Mediha Didem Türemen (@MedihaDidem) July 30, 2014
#DirenKahkaha: Turkish women are in 'laugh protest' against Erdogan's deputy http://t.co/tih5xQ62X1 pic.twitter.com/7lbyoPewvD — IBTimes UK (@IBTimesUK) July 30, 2014
#direnkahkaha #kahkaha Human beings laugh. I don't know about aliens. pic.twitter.com/QoWeix72NN — Soul Sister (@SoulClipse) July 30, 2014
I'm a Turkish girl, 26 years old, and I can't do anything but Smile!! #kahkaha #direnkahkaha #Bulentarinc pic.twitter.com/nEi4he1L2x — Esra Kansu (@esrakansu) July 30, 2014
#direnkahkaha We are with you girls! #kahkaha #Italy pic.twitter.com/0tFTCfHpKH — Vittoria Iacovella (@vittoriacovella) July 30, 2014
#direnkahkahaKahkaha guzellige güzellik katarrpic.twitter.com/88r2j5K959 — Ezgi Yalçın (@YalcEzgi) July 28, 2014
#atbirkahkaha #direnkahkaha 3 kusak kahkahamizla cevap verdik Arinc'a - @nidakarabag @ifkfeminist pic.twitter.com/RgRvyv1vW2 — ★NaberMedya (@Revoltistanbul) July 28, 2014
Gulmek ailemizin fitratinda var #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/CC6EMxpj3E — tuğba (@jusssiii) July 30, 2014
#kahkaha ridere e #direnkahkaha resistere e ridere! pic.twitter.com/pIzHI01mDQ — Federica Duvia (@FedericaDuvia) July 30, 2014

H/T: Buzzfeed, Photo Courtesy: Twitter