#sitlikeagirl
Ukrainian women share photos in manspreading pose – what it’s all about
Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, on the cover of Vogue
© Screenshot Olena Selenska / Instagram
On social media, Ukrainian women present themselves in a self-confident, boyish attitude. The photos are related to the First Lady of Ukraine and her appearance on the cover of Vogue. What is behind #sitlikeagirl.
She sits there with her legs apart. In black pants and white blouse. Rest your forearms loosely on your thighs. Hands clasped together. Clear, confident look into the camera. In the background are columns with sandbags in them. This is how Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, poses on the digital cover of “Vogue”.
In the two weeks since their publication, the pictures, taken by star photographer Annie Leibovitz, have caused quite a stir. Other photos show Olena Zelenska with her husband, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Criticism of this appearance in the fashion magazine “Vogue” came from different directions. A photo shoot in times of war – that was inappropriate and was particularly popular with viewers from the West. In her opinion, the focus should be on the victims of the war and not on fashion and high gloss.
Ukrainian women found an answer with #sitlikeagirl
In connection with her “Vogue” appearance, Olena Selenska repeatedly emphasizes the situation in which people in war-torn Ukraine are. In a post accompanying the pictures on Instagram, she pays tribute to those who help fights, in refugee camps, who work under sirens. The past few months have been the most horrible of her life and the lives of all Ukrainians, says Selenska in a text accompanying the shooting. In many positive comments on the “Vogue” issue, this is exactly what is praised: that attention is paid to the country and the situation of the local people.
Others disliked Olena Selenska’s boyish attitude, which was criticized as unfeminine – the opposite of the “glamour” accusation. criticism from various quarters. Ukrainians and women from other countries have now found their own answer.
They show solidarity with Olena Selenska. Under the tagline sitlikeagirl (sit like a girl), they share photos of themselves in a pose similar to that of Ukraine’s first lady on the cover of Vogue.
The images are reminiscent of manspreading, men sitting with their legs apart, who thus take up a lot of space for themselves, in public spaces such as a subway, for example, more than they are entitled to, and who thus restrict the freedom of movement and the space of others. The poses of the women under #sitlikegirl reinterpret manspreading. Girls and women can occupy their space as well. You can sit however you want. What does it mean to sit like a girl? It can mean anything. And it shouldn’t matter.
In their contributions, some of the women also draw attention to the consequences of the war in Ukraine. (Re)conquering space, showing self-confidence – these are also the topics of an entire country.
Sources:Instagram, Newsweek, Vogue I Vogue II, FAZ, daily indicator