Turkish women defy calls not to laugh in public
Turkish women have taken a defiant stand on social media after a politician said that women laughing in public was part of the country’s ‘moral decline’.
Turkish Vice Prime Minister Bulent Arinc complained on Monday that Turkish women laughing in public were lowering society’s standards and needed to preserve their decency, according to an ABC report.
• No loud laughing for Turkish women
Mr Arinc’s comments caused an uproar on social media, with Turkish women taking to Twitter to post photos of themselves laughing.
Laughing out loud! Why wouldn’t we?!#direnkahkaha #kahkaha pic.twitter.com/Pb9Y9BEham — Margot Neyskens (@MargotNeyskens) July 31, 2014
They tagged the photos ‘direnkahkaha’, which means ‘resist laughter’.
“She should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times,” said Mr Arinc.
The comments have given opposition politicians ammunition against Mr Arinc and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoganm, with presidential candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu taking to Twitter to say that Turkey needed women to laugh.
Laughing along with the women of Turkey: http://t.co/Doa3WAW2El #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/56BzLOjpFL — WOMENKIND (@Womenkind) July 31, 2014
Women around the world have also posted pictures of themselves laughing, in a show of solidarity with Turkish women.
Women should not laugh in public,’ says #Turkey‘s Deputy Prime Minister in morality speech my response #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/mn6cuRAMVD — فادية الفقير (@FadiaFaqir) July 30, 2014
I’m a Turkish girl, 26 years old, and I can’t do anything but Smile!! #kahkaha #direnkahkaha #Bulentarinc pic.twitter.com/nEi4he1L2x — Esra Kansu (@esrakansu) July 30, 2014
Agreed @AsanaHealth But @bulent_arinc is not getting his way. Turkish women r laughing at his nonsense pic.twitter.com/ZY9aJCUtGz via @Sibellgul — Jeffrey Guterman PhD (@JeffreyGuterman) July 31, 2014
A day without laughter is a wasted day. Women of the world: Yes we laugh! #kahkaha #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/O9CtVcI7HQ — Ozge Von (@ozgevon) July 30, 2014
