God’s Law Vs. Lingerie

This story is actually a few days old but, being an American, I’m occasionally a little late in learning what’s going on in the rest of the world.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas has ordered a crack down on lingerie.

The police have apparently been out in force, telling store owners to remove not only any posters displaying images of lingerie but also any mannequins that are clad in lingerie.

To quote from the story: “Hamas’s modesty moves were widely seen by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as attempts to mollify more conservative Islamic factions that have accused the movement of failing to uphold Islamic Sharia.”

Now, I’m going to be honest and I’m going to admit that I don’t know much about the “Islamic Sharia, ” beyond the fact that it’s what adherents of Islam consider to be “God’s law.”  While I’m not a theologist, it’s hard to deny that — throughout history — society has used terms like “God’s Law”  have as a convenient way to justify a pervasive fear and loathing of anything that might allow a woman to feel special or unique (let alone suggest that she might actually be special or unique).

As Ellen Lewis once said, “Lingerie is the poetry in a woman’s wardrobe.”

The Trouble With Women

I’m currently working on a review of The Kids Are All Right, which I saw on Friday.  While I work to finish that, let’s consider another film about the role of women in then-contemporary American society.  This one is much shorter than the Kids Are All Right and a lot older.  This film is from the establishment-friendly 1950s and not surprisingly, it’s entitled The Trouble With Women. 

Why I’m Not A Huge Fan Of Marriage