How the daughter of the president of Kyrgyzstan destroys stereotypes
'15.04.2017'
Source: Meduza
Twenty-year-old artist and blogger Aliya Shagieva опубликовала in social networks a photo in which she breastfeeds her newborn son Tahir. The picture was accompanied by her reflections on the perception of the female body, the cult of motherhood and the right to openly breast feed a child. This is not the first such post by Shagiyeva - before and after the birth of the child she published on Facebook and Instagram the statuses on the rights of women. Medusa tells how the daughter of the president of Kyrgyzstan promotes ideas bodypositive and equality - and how its readers react to it.
Who is Aliya Shagieva?
The youngest daughter of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev is 20 years old. She became known in social networks as an artist. Shagieva trying hard Do not advertise the connection with the head of the republic.
Alia Wrotethat all her life she called herself the mother’s last name and was going to change her passport in order to “not see interest in me because of her family ties”. She said that even at school, knowing the answer, she was embarrassed to raise her hand - “if only someone had not thought that I would show off.” Social networks she, according to her, seeks to use, not for self-promotion, but for talking about "social difficulties and easel creativity". Almazbek Atambayev also does not discuss his daughter in public, although he does not hide her family ties - Sputnik news agency published several photos of Atambayev with his family, provided by the presidential press service; was on them and Shagiev.
Shagieva is engaged in graphics and studies at the Roerich Art School in St. Petersburg. She is saidthat a few years ago she did not plan to become an artist, but rather thought about the profession of a plastic surgeon. In November, Aliya laid out on Instagram comparing two of your drawings - 2011 and 2016 of the year - with the words: “I’m sure that many of you can draw better than this? on the left)) Never despair! ”.
An activist or a young mother?
Through 3 weeks after the birth of the child, the girl posted on the social network a small essay about motherhood and photosin which she, sitting in the passenger seat of the car, breastfeeds her son. The snapshot gathered almost 5 thousands of likes on Instagram and sparked a lot of discussion. Now frankly negative comments on this post Shagiyeva removed, but several critical comments left.
The artist recalled that even during pregnancy wrote "The long text that the female body should not be subject to sexualization." She said that she was surprised by the number of grateful messages from women who are faced with such pressure. At the same time, conservative commentators compared feeding with physiological processes that cause disgust ("That's right. But let's still shit in public. The same natural process"), and tried shame a girl (“She’s putting her father in jeopardy. Tomorrow, people will say - I couldn’t raise my daughter, how will you lead the country”, “Do not disgrace the president. Shame, you have no shame and you have no mind”).
The girl is not confused. “I will absolutely calmly reach my chest anywhere, when my child is hungry, be it a shopping center, car salon or a bench in a public park. I will be an example for other nursing mothers who have been driven into the inconvenient framework of a patriarchal society, ” summarized Shagiev.
What else is it criticized for?
Shagiyeva goes for a lot: tattoos, creativity and marriage with a man of a different nationality, but primarily for an active feminist position.
The most acute reaction was caused by several photos of Shagieva in her underwear: the media responded to them with headlines "The President's Naked Daughter" и "Scandalous Princess". On one of these pictures the girl is in the 40 week of pregnancy - but many people consider attempts to talk about the female body in the context of motherhood immodest and outrageous.
