Since there’s nothing else going on in the world that could possibly concern anyone, today’s top story involves a British woman who was arrested for wearing a bikini in a shopping mall in Dubai. So now at least one rightie blogger is expressing contempt for Muslim puritanism, and also getting in some digs at liberals, although what liberals have to do with this story is a bit murky.
The story is that the British woman was shopping in the mall wearing a low-cut top and a skirt that showed some leg, and a local woman accosted her and told her she was dressed indecently. Whereupon the British woman “stripped out of her clothes” and walked around the mall wearing “only her bikini.”
However, having read the news stories, I’m not so sure “bikini” refers to the famous skimpy two-piece swimsuit. I suppose it’s possible the woman could have been wearing a swimsuit under her clothes to go shopping — nice beaches in Dubai, I hear — but in context of the story I suspect the word “bikini” refers to a style of pantie, not to a swimsuit. If that’s the case, she was walking around in the mall wearing only her underpants. That would get you arrested in the U.S. as well.
Whatever she had on, the British Foreign Office says the charges have been dropped. Even so, some anger management classes are in order, I think.
In other bikini scandal news, R.S. McCain rails at Democrats for trying to make a scandal out of a photograph of Marcela Hoeven in a bikini. Marcela Hoeven is the daughter of North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, who is running for Senate on the Republican ticket.
However, RSM provides no direct evidence that anyone is trying to make a scandal out of the photo. I certainly never heard of Marcela Hoeven and don’t much care what she wears to get photographed. I suspect the whole story is just an excuse to publish a photo of a pretty girl in a bikini.
Further, displaying all the good sense of used kitty litter, RSM tells his readers where Ms. Hoeven works. Oh, yes, let’s just hang a sign on the girl saying “Attention Stalkers!” Although, considering only about three dozen people live in North Dakota, it’s possible they all know where she works anyway.
Update: I suppose I could have made some point about the objectification of women’s bodies. Some other time, maybe.
Anyone remember why the swimsuit is called a ‘Bikini?”
It’s named after an atoll we nuked in either the late ’40’s or early ’50’s.
“Bikini” is such a nice, cute word. Perfect for a swimsuit. Otherwise, women might be wearing ‘Nagasaki’s,’ or ‘Hiroshima’s.’
“Nice ‘Hiroshima’ you’re wearing!’ Where’d you get it?”, just doesn’t sound right.
I wonder if that rightie blogger rushed to defend Erykah Badu last April, when she went and showed some extra skin in Dealey Plaza? Did he ridicule Texans and say he couldn’t imagine a more backwards culture than the people of Dallas, who would actually fine a woman just for walking around in the clothes God gave her?
I’m gonna guess NO.
biggerbox — As we learned after the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Superbowl, the sight of a black woman’s girl parts induces massive and irreversible trauma in young white people. I understand Heather Wilson’s children are still locked in a padded room somewhere.
The whole comment and thought isn’t fully formed yet but don’t most of the righties think that women should be more fully clothed than many are. And I’m not referring to Prarie Muffins or fundie Mormons, think more Duggar family women. Their problem must be that it was an Arab morals squad at work and not an American morals squad.
Well, I happened to be at the beach a few days ago, and saw a woman off in distance wearing Nothing, and running into the ocean – which made my heart sing. This was at a public beach in California – nudity is illegal, but no one seemed to be rushing out to protect the innocent by enforcing the law (hooray). I’m betting the male lifeguards, as well as many of us bystanders rather enjoyed it.
I’m guessing the lady in Dubai was wearing underwear, not a bikini; I understand the weather in Dubai is miserably hot and humid (correct me if I’m wrong), and so the usual opportunities to wear beachwear are probably limited to hotel pools.
I don’t feel like soiling my beautiful mind (or wasting time on what passes for thinking by righties) by investigating rightie disdain over Muslim puritanism, but it is interesting that the word “puritanism” has very Christian origins, and while people may not know the full history of that word, everyone knows its contemporary meaning. I would further guess that said rightie disdain is absolutely silent when it comes to the kind of puritanism practiced by religions nearer to home.
Hey, whatever happened to the rights of private property owners? “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service,” dude!
And I’m confused as to why Malibu Stacy McCain is encouraging people to stalk the daughter of a GOP candidate, but I refuse to link to his blog to try to make sense of this.
I’m amazed at the stupidity of McCain to post a picture of his wife and describe her as a’ hottie”. And just reduce her to a piece of meat by claiming her body is the reason he has 6 children. I’ve got to agree with him that she’s a fine looking piece of meat, and I also would be pumping her full of man batter in my every spare moment if she was my old lady. But, it seems I have hangs-ups about respecting the sanctity of marriage and intimate relationships by not approving of a guy who broadcasts pictures of his wife as being a sex object.
We should know better now than to expect consistent standards from authoritarians of all stripes. They don’t actually possess the values they claim or imply they have because the real, underlying value has always been authority. If their leaders give the right directions, we’ll be at war with China tomorrow and the entire charade about Islam and the Middle East will be forgotten shortly. And yes, they will then proceed to claim we were always at war with China.
I’ll note that this story originates from the Daily Mail, who can be trusted about as far as they can be thrown. In any case, it shouldn’t be a crime even to walk around naked. What harm is it that would be caused here? Children might learn something about human anatomy? The Puritanical anti-sex perversion needs to die off already, including in our own culture.
I don’t know what to say about this “other” McCain fellow, except that he is extremely vain and prideful. Isn’t that supposed to be a sin? Or is he one of those “non-religious” conservatives that rarely come out of the wood works anymore? Either way, using other people (women) to drum up your own self-esteem and try to sell your political brand is scummy. Vote for us because we’re pretty? WTF ???
I think I can help with that. There are lots of people whose kink is that they can’t get aroused unless they think that there’s something fundamentally gross about what they’re doing. McCain’s kink is that he can’t get aroused unless he thinks that a liberal is disgusted.
Considering that the thought of an aroused McCain is probably distasteful to most of us, I suspect this doesn’t generally cause many problems for him.
Ironically I currently live in North Dakota.
“Ironically I currently live in North Dakota.”
Be sure to say hi to Marcela for us.
I’ve seen some women on Clearwater beach who should be arrested for wearing bikinis, I’m sure Swami can vouch for that.
I’m not being sexist, for I’m quite sure most women would not appreciate me in a speedo………..
It’s all about context.
Human behavior is so predictable. When we’re anxious, we defend against our anxiety by being cruel to others to make others anxious. When we’re unhappy, we overcome our unhappiness either by behaving as aggressively as possible or by clinging to a fixed moral code.
However, it would seem that the manichean, radical, paranoid, obsessively ideological Right is more human than the rest of us these days.
I’ve got to agree with him that she’s a fine looking piece of meat, and I also would be pumping her full of man batter in my every spare moment if she was my old lady.
I’ll still be laughing over that magnificent sentence a month from now.
Now, is R. “Malibu Stacy” related to John McCain? I thought I read somewhere that they’re brothers, but maybe that was someone’s snark. Still, it would make sense, considering how John bragged in 2008 that Cindy would win the “Miss Buffalo Chip” contest in Sturgis, were she to get up on the bar and flash her ta-tas like the other contestants. The urge to whore out one’s wife is perhaps genetic?
“Update: I suppose I could have made some point about the objectification of women’s bodies. ”
At teh risk of displaying neanderthal tendancies, are you for or against?
I used to be against it, but at my age I’m starting to miss it.
Now, is R. “Malibu Stacy†related to John McCain?
He claims a connection to old Mano a Mano McCain through some female descendant from back in the 1700’s. Some Georgian Huguenot I suppose.
I think I’ve been a little too critical of Stacy.. After all,he’s been the recipient of 2 Malkin Awards and a George Washington Medal . And I haven’t attained any honors that even come close to that…Well, I do qualify for a” Cold War Certificate” from the United States Government.
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I have enjoyed the comments, but every time I start off criticizing my fellow human bodies (which I do) I remember the most important lesson I ever learnt, from a veteran who had seen naked prisoners lining up during war. He told me that every human body is precious and beautiful.
BTW, man batter? WTF?
Oh Swami…….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye3ecDYxOkg