Upskirting is when you take pictures underneath someones clothes without there consent. Which when you literally spell it out sounds absurd frankly. Why the law has taken this long to come in I actually have no idea. Consent as a law is classed as 'That is, both people agreeing to what's happening by choice, and having the freedom and ability to make that choice' Metropolitan Police. In my eyes just because a photo isn't a gesture of affection, I still believe that taking photos underneath clothes would sit in this bracket. The fact that it now has its own very CLEAR law that has hit the news story's before the upend coming festivals and summer months will hopefully bring a end to the offence all together.
I was searching around the internet of any old photos/paintings which could be interpreted as upskirting. This is an old painting I found, The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard 1767.
The young man in the photo, lounging in the low bush, enjoying the view above him, comes into view. In fact, he is looking right up her frothy pink and cream skirt! He is quite clearly using his hat to take a good look up her skirt. This is a very early example of sexualising women.
In 1928 The equal franchise act came in, over 91 years ago. This meant all women now had the same voting rights as men. Less than a hundred years ago women didn't even have the basic rights to practically have a say on anything. There voices were seen as invalid, irrelevant and pointless. Women had no value in society, other than being housewives.
The fact that it has taken another 91 years to get to now today 2019, for women to have what I deem as a basic human right particularly is actually unacceptable and shocking.
I understand that it is defiantly to be celebrated and atlas its changed now, for the years the law has not been in place hundreds of women have suffered and had no help from the law to bring them justice.
Another quite obvious and odd information I read about recently was the fact taking "upskirting" and "downblousing" photos was outlawed in Scotland under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009. IN 2009, 10 years ago. Why on earth would anyone who has any morals in our government see that Scotland brought the law in ( and for good reason) and think oh hey that sounds like a really good idea, why would we allow such frankly disgraceful service in out country. I don't understand why it wasn't brought up sooner.
Sometimes I think it takes an individual to really push something they believe in and cause enough of a story and whirlwind around it that the government have no other choice but to bring in laws to protect us.
Upskirting was put over the news the summer of 2017 by Gina Martin, 27, who started an online campaign calling for it to be made illegal when a man took an upskirt photo of her at British Summer Time festival in London's Hyde Park. The police said they were unable to press charges against him because it wasn't "a graphic image".
She has fought long and hard with petitions and then taking it to court and finally having the law passed two years later. Hard work pays off. Shame women still have fight for laws to protect our human rights.
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