“Women exist elsewhere than in your eyes”.
As a new social movement gathers momentum, Rosalie Bonenfant took the time to set the record straight on the unfounded intentions some people attribute to women.
It was following unsolicited comments with a misogynistic flavour under a post by Léa Clermont-Dion on social network X that the tone was raised. She took advantage of the situation to share a few screenshots in a photo carousel on her Instagram account.
The comments were under her professional photo of the author. In this one, she’s facing the lens, lips parted and head cocked to one side. This pose was enough for several men to lend her seductive intentions, a sort of sexual invitation of some kind.
Seizing the moment, Rosalie Bonenfant reminded everyone that “women exist elsewhere than in your eyes”, referring to men.
“A woman who fits Western beauty standards isn’t necessarily more seductive than others just because you might feel seduced by looking at her. Similarly, a fat woman doesn’t necessarily promote obesity or curse thinness by simply existing in a fat body. An educated woman who affirms her convictions isn’t necessarily more prudish or less sexual than another simply because you haven’t learned to desire an unsubmissive being. A woman who expresses an opinion doesn’t necessarily expect to be validated or applauded by a boy (…) It’s time to start conceiving that women exist elsewhere than in your eyes.”
She continues on her Instagram carousel:
“How you feel about us is none of our business or interest. We certainly won’t need your guidelines to circumscribe how we act. We’re confident enough to come out with brilliant essays and assume that the public won’t be put off reading us if we have the added nerve to be pretty. (…) That said, don’t worry too much about it, when we varlope you, it’s always with our mouths open and our heads tilted, just in case you catch a glimpse of us.”
These last words, on a note both amusing and provocative, refer to the #boucheouverte movement launched on social networks.
The movement has spread like wildfire across the Québécois media landscape. A number of public figures and even private citizens have posted photos with the hashtag #boucheouverte in support of Léa Clermont-Dion and to demonstrate the absurdity of misogynistic comments.
While it may seem trivial, as comments made on the web go, it’s anything but. Women, whether well-known or not, are often the target of misogynistic comments, and this is a direct forward to universal rights which, we remind you, clearly state that everyone has the right to live free from violence and discrimination.
On that note, we invite you to join the movement by taking a snapshot of yourself with your mouth open and your head to one side, because, no, this isn’t a seductive invitation.