Help fight supernatural thinking and the oppression of women, just by dressing immodestly!
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http://www.blaghag.com/2010/04/in-name-of-science-i-offer-my-boobs.html
(For those who want a more serious explanation of the event, please go here:
http://www.blaghag.com/2010/04/quick-clarification-about-boobquake.html)
"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader.
I have a modest proposal.
Sedighi claims that not dressing modestly causes earthquakes. If so, we should be able to test this claim scientifically. You all remember the homeopathy overdose?
Time for a Boobqauke.
On Monday, April 26th, I will wear the most cleavage-showing shirt I own. Yes, the one usually reserved for a night on the town. I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. Or short shorts, if that's your preferred form of immodesty. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake. If not, I'm sure Sedighi can come up with a rational explanation for why the ground didn't rumble. And if we really get through to him, maybe it'll be one involving plate tectonics.
So, who's with me? I may be a D cup, but that will probably only produce a slight tremor on its own. If you'll be joining me on twitter, use the tag #boobquake!
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I don't think the event is completely contrary to feminist ideals. I'm asking women to wear their most "immodest" outfit that they already would wear, but to coordinate it all on the same day for the sake of the experiment. Heck, just showing an ankle would be considered immodest by some people. I don't want to force people out of their comfort zones, because I believe women have the right to choose how they want to dress. Please don't pressure women to participate if they don't want to. If men ogle, that's the fault of the men, not me for dressing how I like. If I want to a show a little cleavage or joke about my boobs, that's my prerogative.
I also hate the ideal of "big boobs are always better!" The cleavage joke was just a result of me personally having cleavage, and that being my choice of immodesty. And I thought "boobquake" just sounded funny. Really, it's not supposed to be serious activism that is going to revolutionize women's rights, but just a bit of fun juvenile humor. I'm a firm believer that when someone says something so stupid and hateful, serious discourse isn't going to accomplish anything - sometimes light-hearted mockery is worthwhile.
And to the scientists who are concerned with my methods - don't worry, I fully plan on doing some statistics after the event. I know many earthquakes happen on a daily basis, so we're looking to see if Boobquake significantly increases the number or severity of earthquakes. Or if an earthquake strikes West Lafayette, IN and only kills me, that may be good evidence of God's wrath as well (I'm not too concerned). And yes, I know I need a larger sample size to make this good science. Maybe I'll include Mardi gras in my calculations.
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The official Boobquake fan page (in case of future boobquakes) can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boobquake/115608248460905
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ARE YOU NEAR WASHINGTON DC? BBC News wants to speak to you about Boobquake. Very important, please visit
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120202591324591
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ARE YOU NEAR WEST LAFAYETTE, IN? This is the epicenter of Boobquake (aka Jen McCreight is there)! If you want to be part of the local, national, and international news coverage, visit
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121208454555883
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OFFICIAL BOOBQUAKE SHIRTS!
100% of profit will go to charity, half to the Red Cross and half to JREF.
http://www.zazzle.com/modestly_dressed_women_seldom_make_earthquakes_tshirt-235857302504209916
http://www.zazzle.com/boobquake_did_the_earth_move_for_you_tshirt-235130807265479352
http://www.zazzle.com/i_survived_boobquake_4_26_2010_tshirt-235212730328297095
http://www.zazzle.com/boobquake_who_says_science_has_to_be_boring_tshirt-235282366840414562
