The radical FEMEN

Mariya Majerchyk, Olha Plakhotnik

The Radical FEMEN and The New Women’s Activism

FEMEN is a radical women’s movement that originated in Kyiv about two years ago. National newspapers, magazines, television, and internet sites all beam with childlike exaltation savoring the appealing defiance of FEMEN’s street actions: activists protesting topless.

When in the space of two years FEMEN’s protests did not stop – in fact, they became more frequent and more daring – when the movement did not join a political party, did not become a mouthpiece for a candidate at the next elections, and did not turn into a business project, then the claims that FEMEN was just a puppet organization somewhat dwindled.

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