A low-cut protest this week against a religious figure's attempt to blame earthquakes on scantily clad women made its point, supporters say.
Jennifer McCreight, a genetics major at Purdue University, sponsored "Boobquake" on Monday after reading comments from an Iranian cleric who said that promiscuous behavior and revealing outfits by women are to blame for the recent rash of earthquakes globally.
Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi gave his explanation to Iranian media following a prediction by Iran's president that an earthquake could hit Tehran, Iran.
"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," the cleric said, according to Iranian media quoted by The Associated Press.
College women across the country donned low-cut shirts to join the Purdue student's protest, according to ABC News. In a sign of the times, at least one Facebook page was started related to the effort.
Ball State University junior Jennifer Turner, a classical culture major, hadn't heard about the cleric's remarks or the protest. She said American women may dress more provocatively than women in other cultures, but that didn't mean their moral standards were lower.
"It's just part of our culture here," she said. "It's a matter of opinion."
Freshman Dylan Ginn, a sports administration major, considers the cleric's earthquake explanation a "completely sexist remark."
"[It] doesn't have any correlation to earthquakes," he said. "That's just like saying guys cause volcanoes or hurricanes."
At least one person suggested that dressing provocatively is so commonplace as to be ineffective.
"I think she could prove her point in a different way," sophomore psychology major Michelle Galeziewski said. "People [wear low-cut shirts] everyday."
McCreight also wrote a tongue-in-cheek blog entry explaining her "boobquake" test.
"I encourage other female skeptics to join me and embrace the supposed supernatural power of their breasts. With the power of our scandalous bodies combined, we should surely produce an earthquake," she wrote.
For women in America, modesty can be defined by the amount of cleavage showing and the fit of a woman's shirt and pants. In Muslim culture, however, women are expected to wear loose-fitting clothing and headscarves. The women targeted by Sedighi's remark were apparently breaking the code of modesty by letting a little hair show from behind their headscarves and wearing tighter clothing, according to BBC News.
More than 85,000 Facebook users have "liked" the Boobquake Facebook page, including women from Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Ironically, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit Taiwan on Monday. No deaths or damage have been reported, according to the Associated Press.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
