Women across Turkey have taken to Instagram and Twitter to post selfies of themselves laughing.
Big deal, we hear you say. People post way too many selfies of themselves anyway.
Well, this is different. The images have been posted to the social networks in protest over the apparently sexist comments of the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.
Arinc used a speech about “moral corruption” to make reference to female chastity, saying “she will not laugh in public”.
His controversial comments have led to a backlash in the country, with women using Twitter and Instagram to post photos of themselves laughing in public.
There have been over 300,000 tweets using the term “kahkaha” – the Turkish word for laughter and thousands of relevant images posted. The hashtags #direnkahkaha (“Resist laughter”) and #direnkadin (“Resist Woman”) are also trending.
This isn’t the first time Turkish citizens have taken up social issues both on the streets and on social media.
There was a huge Pride rally across Istanbul earlier this month, with protestors kissing in public with regard to their civil rights.
Additionally, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan has also come under fire in the past on social media over his comments referring to abortion as “murder”. In reaction, many women posted photos of their stomachs on social media sites, writing: “My body, my decision.”
