My Cunt, My Rules! Feminist Sextremist Activism in Neoliberal Europe

Abstract

Known for its bare-breasted, ‘sextremist’ actions, the group Femen has expanded over the years to several European countries. Tiina Rosenberg argues that since the group relocated from Kiev to Paris and began protesting against a wide range of issues, its potential for political blunders has increased. Recently, Femen’s ‘topless jihad’ made it clear that the group does not fully grasp the context in which it now operates. Burning Muslim symbols in France and invading a mosque in Stockholm amount to old-school orientalism, Rosenberg argues. Tracing the rhetoric of European anti-Islamic movements back to anti-migration policies developed by France’s extreme right parties in the 1960s, Rosenberg analyses how Femen’s anti-patriarchal activist objectives are undermined by its lack of an intersectional analysis that would enable anti-racist solidarity.