Hungarian Newspaper Faces Backlash For Publishing Pics Of Women In Short Skirts
According to a Hungarian news website Telex, the images were reportedly taken in public spaces such as subways and streets without the women’s consent
A Hungarian newspaper has recently come under fire for publishing and soliciting photographs of women in short skirts, eliciting widespread protest from women’s right advocates and the Hungarian public.
Metropol, a free daily newspaper with connections to Hungary's ruling government featured a provocative photo spread showcasing women in short skirts in its June 4th issue. According to a Hungarian news website Telex, the images were reportedly taken in public spaces such as subways and streets without the women’s consent. The spread appeared in the paper’s recurring “Take a photo and send it in!” column, which has a history of facing criticism for taking advantage of vulnerable communities.
The photo spread was published under the headline “The shorter, the better,” followed by an article that read: “this statement is certainly true for fashion, if not for life-span. But in the case of skirts and dresses worn by girls, it is certainly true with the beginning of summer.” The feature encouraged readers to submit similar photos, further fuelling the controversy.
Women’s rights activists and social media users immediately responded by condemning the feature as invasive and objectifying. According to Hungarian website HVG.hu, a protest was held outside the offices of Metropol’s publisher, Mediaworks, on Wednesday. Around 50 to 60 protesters came together to express their anger against the spread, chanting slogans such as “Harassment is not journalism” and “My body is not an object.” Many demanded for a public apology from the newspaper.
Social media users echoed the sentiment, with one Reddit user asking, “So is the purpose to titillate the paper’s (presumably straight male) readers, or to shame women wearing short skirts? Both?” Others described the feature as “state-sponsored harassment of young women.”
Metropol is yet to respond to this issue.
The article is authored by Rishima Mosali, an intern from Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune.
