“Boobquake.” It’s not a real natural disaster. And it’s not a bizarre new twist on a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. It’s an overnight phenomenon.
It’s in response to Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazim Sadeghi’s claim that, “When promiscuity spreads, earthquakes increase,” according to CNN.com.
After the cleric blamed earthquakes on women who dress promiscuously, Jennifer McCreight, a student at Purdue, could not sit idly by. Sadeghi’s statement clearly held absolutely no scientific clout whatsoever, and it was insulting to women, but I don’t completely agree with McCreight’s follow-up actions.
McCreight chose to lead a protest where she encouraged women to dress in their most revealing way, such as cleavage-bearing shirts or short shorts. Her efforts were meant as a joke to see whether a “Boobquake” would truly cause seismic disturbances within the earth.
I’m all for women’s rights and proving a point, but I can’t say I’m completely okay with her proposal. Again, what Sadeghi said was ludicrous and impossible, but should we not take into account cultural differences?
What started as a joke from McCreight quickly turned into a media circus; the fact that she’s studying at Purdue and I’m here writing this column about her for ASU proves it.
If the “Boobquake” had ended at a simple post on McCreight’s blog, “Blag Hag,” and an event on Facebook then I probably wouldn’t have much of an opinion on it. However, because this did turn into more, and media outlets started to pick up the story, the serious issue of earthquakes lost its severity.
It turns out that there was an earthquake on Monday, the day of “Boobquake,” in Taiwan. Some Facebook members posted links on the “Boobquake” fan page with comments such as “I guess I gotta send Taiwan some casserole!” There was also a page created called “I hate when my b00bs cause an earthquake in Taiwan.”
The whole thing became tasteless. Sure, McCreight had no way of knowing there would actually be an earthquake, but there was. And while “Boobquake” was meant to focus on causing a social shift, not a seismic tremor, in the process, the real tragedy of earthquakes was lost. Earthquakes are not a joke; they shouldn’t be taken lightly or jokingly.
I get McCreight’s point, linking cleavage to quakes, and I give McCreight kudos for her passion. But the carefree spin on such harsh occurrence is something to be wary of. Earthquakes cause real pain and suffering, whether or not women are wearing hot pants or jeans.
What do you think of “Boobquake?” Share with me at mmattox@asu.edu