This article was originally posted at Renaissance Babes.
According to legend, Lady Godiva was a beautiful Saxon noblewoman who lived with her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, in the English town of Coventry.
Lady Godiva was as kind and wise as her husband was cruel and bullish - and when she witnessed the people of Coventry suffering under her husband's oppressive taxation, she demanded he remit the tolls and give some relief to them. Leofric refused.
But Lady Godiva was a thoroughly modern Medieval woman and used the most powerful tool available in her feminine arsenal to entreat her stubborn husband. She nagged him.
She nagged him and nagged him and nagged him until the frustrated Leofric gave his obstinate wife an ultimatum. He would never lift the oppressive taxes - at least, not until the beautiful Godiva stripped naked and rode through the town for all and sundry to see.
But Leofric had underestimated his missus. She took him at his word.The beautiful Saxon maiden threw off her robes, ordered Leofric's bravest two knights to attend her and then rode naked through the streets of the town, with the stunned, but cheering townsfolk assembled to watch.
A humbled and penitent Leofric, humiliated at his wife's stubborn display, dutifully lifted the oppressive taxes and thus elevated the heroic Godiva to the ranks of the world's most legendary nudists.
The story ended well for Godiva - but almost a thousand years after the Saxon beauty's legendary naked hack through the streets earned her a place in history, another beautiful woman is facing stern consequences for following her example.
Peruvian model and dancer Leysi Suarez, in order to celebrate the 187th anniversary of Peru's independence from Spain, rode naked astride a beautiful brown horse wearing nothing but a look of stern patriotic pride - and using the Peruvian flag as a saddle.
But instead of acclaim and adulation, Leysi is facing political uproar and possibly even criminal charges.
Defense Minister Antero Flores angrily roared: "These are patriotic symbols that demand total respect, and using them improperly requires punishment!"
He has threatened the Peruvian beauty with up to four years in jail for modelling on the provocative cover of DFarandula magazine.
"I haven't committed a crime!" Leysi protested. "I love Peru and show it with my body and soul!"
We can only hope that the people of Peru shoulder behind their blushing benefactor in the same way the people of Coventry supported the Lady Godiva. Pride and patriotism are important things and if they can't be expressed in provocative pictures, what kind of world are we living in?
Leysi Surarez? We entirely support you. And Lady Godiva? Rest assured that your legend lives on.
2 comments:
I thought the Peruvians were more liberal than that. If she tried that in Brazil, I don't think anyone would have objected. What can I say? Views on human exposure differ across countries for different age groups.
@The Chemist, this is true, but Peruvians are extremely patriotic and having a naked woman on top of the national flag is a great disrespect to Peruvians.
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