Oppressed Majority: Tackling sexism in a really powerful way

I discovered this incredibly powerful 11-minute short film yesterday. It's directed by Éléonore Pourriat and it "shows men how it feels to be subjected to sexism and sexual violence". You can watch it here:

I think this is a remarkable video that tackles sexism in an intense and effective way. It describes an alternative society where it is the women who enjoy all the privileges and the men who are oppressed, discriminated and harassed - a 'matriarchy' instead of the 'patriarchy' we are more familiar with in most societies. In this matriarchal society, the women hold the positions of power and lead professional lives while the men are seen taking care of the children and working as assistants. While women are seen freely jogging and walking in the streets bare-chested, male harassment and abuse is all too frequent. In addition to that, the law and religion states that men should wear a balaclava/head-covering to stay modestly dressed and submitted to their wives. A man wearing bermudas and a short-sleeved shirt is deemed provocative and prone to be assaulted.

-IMPORTANT: The English subtitles mistranslate the original when saying "I can't take this fucking feminist society anymore!" "Feminist" is not the same as "matriarchal", which is how the line should have been translated. Feminism fights for women's rights in a patriarchal society and, by extent, it fights for equality for both women and men (in the film, the word "masculinist" is used as the equivalent of "feminist" in a matriarchal society). Feminism, real feminism (unlike what so many people, brainwashed, confused and prejudiced by patriarchal influences, think), doesn't want women's superiority or the creation of a matriarchal society where women would rule, hold all privileges and, by extent, oppress the "opposite sex", in this case the men. A matriarchal society is inherently anti-feminist. ie. anti equality, same as a patriarchal society. The (very low amount, MRAs) of women who want to have dominion over men and oppress them, and call themselves 'feminists', are using the wrong term (there are extremists and fanatics in practically every group, but still, wrong usage, they're "pro-matriarchy", not "feminists").

  As a feminist, I am always at the side of the oppressed in a group. In a patriarchal-based society, as is this one, I side with the women and fight for women's rights, not only because I myself can be oppressed, but because I'm also an INFJ and an activist at heart, and I don't like that other women be oppressed as well (and I do not try to oppress men or take rights from them, nor do I hate the men who mean well). But in a hypothetical matriarchy as this one, I would totally side with the men - because this time they're the ones who are being oppressed and treated in an unfair way. I completely empathise with the male character, a man who's being oppressed in a female-dominated society and who tries to be himself and fight for his rights. How is that "pro-women's superiority" and "man-hating"? I'm just pro-equality.

 So, no matter what the mistranslated subtitle may suggest, this video is nothing but incredibly feminist because it helps address sexism and oppression. By no means does it exalt a society where women oppress men. The gender-reversed alternative society serves as a powerful way to show men (and the women who have bought into the patriarchy's lies) how it feels to be oppressed by the opposite sex and how it is to suffer intense sexism and harassment virtually on a daily basis. Hopefully by seeing it with themselves as the oppressed, they'll be able to begin to realize just how wrong and unfair it is to oppress and harass anyone. 

 This is by no means unimportant. I'm not saying that every man harasses and/or oppresses women, but it's frightening how so many people seem to take for granted so many mysoginistic aspects of our patriarcal-based modern societies. Practically everything - harassment, sexual assault, obligatory body coverings, and so many other things -are not taken seriously or given some sort of excuse or explanation. "Boys will be boys/men can't control themselves". "Look what she was wearing, she was asking for it!". "You can't take compliments!". "You don't have any sense of humour". "But it's religious freedom, she's covering herself because she chooses to!". "They have to cover themselves so that men aren't tempted, it's for their protection, that way they won't get assaulted".  So many excuses. Too many. 

I wonder if people, watching this video, would have thought that the main character was "asking for it" when he was being harassed repeatedly and assaulted. For having the nerve to go out in a pair of bermudas and short-sleeved shirt! I wonder if they would have thought that it wasn't weird or shocking to see the women to be running bare-chested without opposition (because in a patriarchy we're certainly not accustomed to that). I wonder if they would have thought that the men covering themselves because the law and religion and their wives ordered them to were choosing freely, that this had any logical basis, that this wasn't oppressive. Somehow, I highly doubt it. Then, why so many people think otherwise when it is the women being forced to cover themselves up, or being assaulted when happening to wear a short skirt and tank top? When men run or bathe bare-chested, do we see this as weird, as a provocation and an excuse to assault them? I don't think so.

Oppression is wrong in these two paralell societies, in exactly the same way. And by seeing this paralell comparisons, hopefully this film will help more people realize just how unfair, illogical and wrong our patriarchal mysoginistic problems are. 

 -About the "controversial" issue of head and body coverings: I wouldn't have a say about someone covering themselves up if they really did it because they wanted to, as a pure fashion statement, or because of the weather, or what have you. Same as I wear scarves in Winter and only wear my arms and legs bare when it's reasonably hot. And same as I don't always choose to wear deep necklines. Same as someone might choose to wear a turban one day and their hair loose the next day. Even if they wanted to wear a turban/covering every day, but for reasons that weren't gendered or compulsory. Because people seem to forget that, in this case, there is the belief that women's bodies are inherently shameful and have to be modestly covered, and that they are the property of men and have to be kept as "wrapped candy", only to be unwrapped by their 'rightful owner'. Ew.
 I generally defend everyone's right to wear what they like, but these reasons and beliefs, these are so inherently mysoginistic and oppressive, I am very openly against gendered and enforced body coverings. Sue me. I do not see it as a 'freedom of choice'. I do not see it as 'religious freedom'. I only see oppression and misogyny.