Friday, March 30, 2012

Minister pushes for ban on 'pornographic miniskirts'

[Thanks to Susie Bright]
Minister pushes for ban on 'pornographic miniskirts', article.

Indonesia's powerful Religious Affairs Minister believes miniskirts are pornographic and should be banned under tough new anti-pornography laws.
In comments embraced by the country's top Islamic advisory body, Suryadharma Ali said that ''one [criterion of pornography] will be when someone wears a skirt above the knee''.


Different … Balinese would be excluded from the laws. Photo: AP

''Of course there are some exceptions for places like Bali and Papua. Balinese women, for instance, they have a unique way of dressing; the upper part of their traditional dress [does not cover their shoulders] but it's not pornography. They also dance gracefully and it's not considered pornography..."

So if we could teach porn stars to dance gracefully (not likely, I admit), then we may gain a beachhead. 
Then of course, if all they were allowed is to show their shoulders, then penthouse.com might see a drop in sales. 

It is very weird to me that you think you have a bullet-proof definition of something, like "porn" is "sexually explicit communication", and then it turns out that everybody *still* defines these things *so* differently! To some people, seeing a woman's thighs is actually "sexually explicit", and no amount of arguing can make them see it differently. 

12 comments:

Andreas Weber said...

I fully support this motion that girls should go without miniskirts! These skirts are only meant to arouse unchaste interest in the things they cover - so off with them!

emptyspaces said...

I'll bet that MInister has more porn on his computer than Bin Laden.

BaronessBlack said...

Hmmmm. Regarding your comment about porn stars dancing, some of the girls pole dancing these days are exceptionally graceful!
Was it you who posted this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6KnUW9N3Zo

TC [Girl] said...

I'm thinking this "little" current event, in the UK, is a little amusing, myself! :-)

Anna said...

Haha, thanks for the article! Interesting indeed!

And great comments from the commenters too! :)

And it does raise the question of the line. What as an artistic nude, for example, and does it become porn?

Ray said...

"What is an artistic nude, for example, and does it become porn?"

Only if you take it to the bathroom.
Or hide it under the mattress.

There is no key to a closed mind.

Anonymous said...

It's the intention in creation - if it's understood that the viewer will be masturbating. Shortbus is an example of explicit, non-simulated sex that isn't pornographic. Or the domai photos.

Joe said...

The next thing that he will want is for women to wear veils covering head shoulders and everything else.

No ......that is another country. My mistake.

Anonymous said...

I've been to Saudi Arabia - trust me, it's good they wear those things. You don't want to see that kind of skin.

Stuart said...

It seems to me that pornography is anything that gives an erection to a judge, a politician or any self appointed moral guardian.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"And it does raise the question of the line. What as an artistic nude, for example, and does it become porn?"

Yes, fascinating question. I've many times, for example, seen a web site with artistic nudes, usually without genitalia, being self-labelled "Erotic Photography".

I think that if the naked body of one's own species inspires disgust, then one has serious problems, and it doesn't help that *many* people have the same problem.

Joe said...

It is not easy to change a closed mind.