The news of the complaint of rape and bodily harm, against Alexis Georgoulis, by a PASOK official, broke like a "lightning in the air".
The complainant as early as 2020 had proceeded with a nominal complaint with the identity of Alexis Georgoulis not being determined for many months and the person complained of took a clear form in October 2021, when the victim saw Alexis Georgoulis participating in the condemnation of violence against women in the context of the #Metoo movement.
The victim considered Mr. Georgoulis' attitude hypocritical and identified him to the authorities. The complainant then considered the attitude of the SYRIZA MEP (who was expelled from the party) to be hypocritical, and decided to name him and file a complaint against him.
From the day that Georgoulis himself placed himself outside the SYRIZA Eurogroup and declared that he officially and unequivocally denies the accusations leveled against him, a barrage of chain reactions between parties, politicians and citizens began.
With the culmination of three SYRIZA executives turning against the complainant.
First o Vasilis Migas, former executive of the prefectural committee of Larisa, (after being expelled from SYRIZA after his post about the Georgoulis case) who mentioned in his post verbatim: "what's going on here, guys?? what alexis jumps, then nikolakis takes it?? is she living with an androulak or is she being harassed?". A little later the announcement of the party read: "SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance proceeded to delete Vassilis Migas, a member of the party in Larissa, after his vulgar and sexist post".
With the MP from Larisa of PASOK Evangelia Liakoulis position yourself on the issue stating that "it is impressive, however, the way in which SYRIZA officials approach the issue, with arguments such as "is it possible for such a man to abuse a woman", or "why the victim did not reveal the abuse for so long that he had reported to the authorities?' or characterizing the case as "set up", or they make public posts like that of NE Larisa member of SYRIZA Vassilis Migas who shamelessly humiliates and obscenities about the complainant and the President of PASOK.
The most impressive thing in this post is that it adopts exactly the publications of a certain medium, which is supposed to be SYRIZA... fighting furiously... How is it possible that SYRIZA is with both the victims and the perpetrators? So much hypocrisy? What is the meaning of the tearful statements of the NE of SYRIZA which condemns verbatim "the shameful party exploitation of a woman who had the courage to denounce her abuse", declares that it is not the same as the ND and that "we are with the victims and not with the abusers. No cover up, no shadow…”. Did you ask Mr. Migas to make this announcement?"
Earlier, the Zoe Vareli-Stephanidis, mother of Katerina Stefanidis, SYRIZA parliamentary candidate and regional councilor, in her post essentially adopted a vulgar front page of the "Makeleio" newspaper about the woman who denounced Alexis Georgoulis for rape and causing bodily harm.
It is noted that this post came at the same time that the SYRIZA candidate in the 2nd Thessaloniki, Anastasia Gaitartzis, characterizes the serious criminal case in which MEP Alexis Georgoulis is involved as "set up".
On the other hand, Sophia Bekatorou who led the #MToo movement in Greece and challenged deep-rooted social norms in that country called the leak of the complainant's name "tragic". Adding that "many were quick to say at the beginning that my intention was to get involved in the management of the federation. After that I was interested in the field of politics. That didn't happen either. Always, when a victim comes forward to speak, instead of listening to what he has to say, we go out of our way to find a reason to invalidate what he has to say, with such difficulty,” she said, referring to the personal cost of her complaint.
Why is it that the first thing we think is to question the victim and try to justify the abuser? And if this is common on the part of men why do women reproduce among themselves behaviors and patterns that promote negative perceptions of the opposite sex?
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Toxic femininity
Toxic femininity is a broad term that refers to a rigid and repressive definition of womanhood, including the pressures women face to conform to feminine stereotypes and characteristics. Examples of traits traditionally associated with femininity include empathy, sensitivity, gentleness, and grace.
Toxic femininity refers to adhering to the gender binary in order to obtain conditional value in patriarchal societies. It is a concept that limits women to being cooperative, passive, sexually submissive, gentle, and deriving their value from physical beauty while pleasing men. Toxic femininity holds that women have no agency and exist to be defined and judged for their worth by a man in their life, such as a father or husband.
If toxic masculinity encourages violence and domination to maintain an unequal power dynamic, then toxic femininity advocates the tacit acceptance of violence and domination in order to survive.
While toxic masculinity states that men should act tough, show no emotion, and reject anything considered feminine, toxic femininity pressures women to be quiet, nurturing, submissive, and attractive. "Femininity" in this case is defined in a very shallow way that objectifies and harms women.
Like toxic masculinity, toxic femininity is made up of a myriad of culture-specific norms. However, through research and pop culture references, the following key facts have emerged:
Employee: This is the notion that women should be ready to accept control or direction. They should be "flexible" in their thinking and live only to be useful.
Hyper-femininity: This includes strict adherence to stereotypical female behavior. This behavior is reinforced through punishment, such as being blamed for gender-based violence, being called a "slut" or being seen as "compromised"—for example, confident women are often told that their posture is unattractive or anti-feminine .
Policing femininity in others: This includes pressuring others to imitate behaviors considered feminine — for example, commenting negatively on someone's choice to remain childless.
Sabotaging others by abusing traditionally feminine qualities: This refers to the idea that all other women are competing for men's attention and recognition. In this case, a person may resent or act harmful to other women as a means of proving himself. This could be done to get the attention of a man – perhaps a romantic interest, teacher, boss, client or male peer. Behaviors used may consist of: gossiping, spreading rumors about discrediting someone, and threatening social exclusion.
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How Greece sees the victims
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and in collaboration with the organization Women Act and the research company Focus Bari, PPC conducted the first nationwide survey on the connection between women's clothing and violence against women. In this way the PPC attempts to shed light on "invisible" or "under-illuminated" social issues and to claim progress in society's understanding and attitude towards them, in an energetic and substantive way. The said research titled "Clothing and violence against women: The conversation starts in your closet" focuses on the attitude of Greek society towards the relationship that women's clothing can have with harassment and violence. At the same time, it demonstrates the direct negative effects of the perpetuation of stereotypical perception in the elimination of violence against women and maps the attitude of different audiences on the issue and the degree of optimism for the future that it allows. Indicatively, as shown by the data of the research:
• "She wants them" or "goes around in her clothes" are phrases that 9 out of 10 respondents have heard in their environment.
• 34% believes that dressing a woman or girl justifies some form of harassing behavior.
• 38% believes that women and girls should be careful about how they dress, so as not to cause sexual harassment.
• 1 in 5 men think that a woman should be careful about her dress, especially when she is in places with unknown men.
• 21% agrees with the finding that a woman or girl who wears fitted clothes or a short skirt is responsible if she is sexually harassed.
With all this attitude of men and especially women towards victims what can we do about toxic femininity?
Instead of encouraging, supporting, and celebrating women to fully express themselves, toxic femininity forces women to feel sorry, confused, and ashamed of their stereotype that doesn't validate their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.
Moreover, the fear of releasing oneself through neutral human actions locks women into a rigid redefinition of femininity that benefits no one.
However, while toxic femininity may seem to be everywhere, there are also many examples of embodied and authentic femininity. These vast and varied presentations of femininity eschew rigid rules and focus on autonomy and individuality.
Instead of being objectified or put into molds, women, and non-binary people, are supported to be fully human and freely express their femininity in ways that feel authentic, alive and real to those who celebrate it. These personal manifestations and expressions of femininity offer relief, respite, inspiration and hope in the fight against misogyny.
Here are some things you can do on a daily basis to help combat the effects of toxic femininity:
- Take time to reflect on what you have learned and begin to unlearn: Check in with yourself and think about what misogynistic ideology you have been taught or internalized. Are you doing things for yourself or for the male gaze? Do you make decisions based on what you really want or are you looking for the man's approval? Be kind and honest with yourself and consider what other ways of thinking, being and interacting might be possible and truer to who you really are and want to be.
- Speak: Notice and call out the toxic femininity within you and the circles you exist in. Have strange and courageous conversations with others and explore whether what is being said or done is in everyone's best interest or if it is helping to maintain patriarchal power dynamics.
- Be careful how you use the term "toxic femininity": Use the phrase "toxic femininity" with careful consideration of context. Remember, some uses of the phrase have been used to promote anti-feminist ideology to prevent discussions around toxic masculinity. Perhaps the situation calls for thinking about what might be toxic about certain approaches to femininity. For example, calling gossip a product of toxic femininity is itself reductive. Gossip is not an action only done by women and it can be considered anti-feminist. In fact, the true toxic trait is the policing of femininity. and gossip is one way people try to do that.
Ultimately, rigid gender structures as a whole must be fought, and this can help us remember the bigger picture. Taking a more expansive and accepting view of gender can promote healthy femininity and masculinity.
*Cover photo: boukalili