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'The shorter, the better’: Hungary newspaper asks readers to submit photos of women in skirts, draws massive outrage

'The shorter, the better’: Hungary newspaper asks readers to submit photos of women in skirts, draws massive outrage

'The shorter, the better’: Hungary newspaper asks readers to submit photos of women in skirts, draws massive outrage Photograph: (Representative image (Freepik))

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In a disgusting event, a newspaper in Hungary asked its readers to submit photographs of women in short skirts. The newspaper, Metropol, published a photo of women in short skirts in its June 4 issue.

In a disgusting event, a newspaper in Hungary asked its readers to submit photographs of women in short skirts. The newspaper, Metropol, published a photo of women in short skirts in its June 4 issue. The act has sparked massive protests from women's rights groups in the country. The published photos appeared to be taken without the consent of the women.

The newspaper, in its infamous "Take a photo and send it in!" column, published the spread of the photos with a disgusting headline: “The shorter, the better."

Just below the headline, the writer had written, “This statement is certainly true for fashion, if not for life-span. But in the case of skirts and dresses worn by girls, it is certainly true with the beginning of summer.”

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The photos featured in the spread were taken on subways and on the road.

Since then, the publication has drawn massive outrage in Hungary and on social media.

As per local news websites, around 50 to 60 people staged a protest outside the office of Mediaworks, which publishes Metropol, on Wednesday (June 4).

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They chanted slogans: “Harassment is not journalism” and “My body is not an object."

Protestors also demanded an apology from the Metropol - a newspaper having ties with the ruling party.

Internet reaction

"So is the purpose to titillate the paper's (presumably straight male) readers, or to shame women wearing short skirts? Both?” one internet user wrote on Reddit.

"State-sponsored harassment of young women," said another.

"Traditionalism. They want women to be domestic servants with ‘modest dress’ outside the bedroom. This type of harassment is meant to herd women in that direction,” another wrote.

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Gulshan Parveen

Passionate about international politics and social issues, Gulshan analyses key global events, from geopolitical conflicts and US politics to international diplomacy and social mov...Read More

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