Di university professor wey dey protest naked

Dr Victoria Bateman work for day time na to teach economics to students for Cambridge University, wey be one of di top universities for world

She also be rebel wey dey frequently oppose public policy by protesting... naked.

"Pipo go see me naked and say: 'Oh she dey stupid, she be idiot and she must dey crazy.' I wan stand up to dat and say: 'No, I be real thinking being'," Bateman explain.

But naked protests dey controversial.

She say Amazon bin ban advert for her latest book afta dem decisde say di cover dey "sexually suggestive".

And she say dem only change di decision afta one media campaign, wey highlight, in her view, say women no dey allowed to do wetin dem want wit dia own body.

Sexual revolution to censorship

Di foto wey dem dey tok about (as you see am above) no show her full body. Na zoom dem zoom into di foto wey show her naked belle and lines of her breast.

"I no tink say say my body show, make wetin I get to say dey any less worthy," Bateman exclaim.

"History teach us say evri burst of liberalism na age of crackdown dey follow am: middle age dirtiness raise di 'original' puritans or English protetants; di Georgian era [di era of King George di first to King George di fourth] of di bouncing bosom gave way to di buttoned-up Victorians; and, now, di sexual revolution don give way to di 21st Century purity culture and censorship."

Defence of nakedness

No be offence to naked for public for England and Wales but e go become offence if dem fit prove say di pesin deliberately remove dress wit di intention to offend and shock. Di pesin wey dey complain must to prove dis.

Bateman strongly insist say her protests no dey aggresive.

"My aim no be to disturb proceedings but, instead, to draw attention to issue, weda dat na di lack of women for economics, di consequences of Brexit [di UK leaving EU] for women, or attacks on freedom on women body."

Apart from making pipo wey dey look contemplate about linking dress wit respect, she say naked protests also help to achieve di goal of making pipo tok about issue wey dey ground.

Animal rights groups bin don use naked protests against di use of fur since.

Environmental groups wey dey push for drastic action to stop climate change too don do naked protests. Although for politics, naked protest no dey very common.

Working class to Ivy league

She study for one state school and go Cambridge for her graduation. She do her Masters and P.hD from Oxford and land teaching work for Cambridge University.

As a child Bateman say she bin dey use to wearing decent dress, but during her teenage years, like many girls of her age she begin go party, wear short skirts, tiny tops and high heels.

She believe her academic success help her to move from working class to middle class, wia she say dem dey look down on girls wit scanty dresses like di teenage Bateman.

Dat attitude worry Bateman. Wen she first start her academic career, she too bin dey use plenty time and effort to guard her modesty to uphold her intellectual respect.

"Why I dey let mysef dictate to mysef according to wetin some men fit dey tink of me? E get many more important tins to be worried about dan dat."

Modesty dey destroy freedom

E also get one idea or for her radical decision to remove her clothes.

"Female modesty dey actual wunjure women. E dey also give men plenty of power over women. Becos di moment you hang woman value on her modesty, dat go give you power to rubbish her valuse, to disrespect her, to treat women wey you no see as di most modest of all, as pieces of meat becos you no respect dem like any oda woman," she tell BBC.

Dis attitude dey give way all kain oppression, she argue.

"E dey fuel policies and practices wey dey hurt women freedoms across di globe, from di withdrawal of women from schools for Afghanistan to di compulsory hijab for Iran, along wit virginity testing, honour killings and revenge porn."

Nude model

Na 10 years ago, Bateman decide to use her position of privilege to do sometin rebelious.

So she pack her clothes keep one side begin pose naked for female artists.

After she gain small confidence she begin work wit male artists.

Dem soon display dis artistic paintings and sculptures for public places.

"I don see from di way pipo jump back from my naked portrait for galleries. Pipo fit dey surprise to find out say di naked woman for di painting na academic."

She soon gain confidence to use her body for political messaging and stage public protests.

As a qualified economist she shock at how men dominate her area of specialisation. Only two women don win Nobel prize in economics, for example.

She say lack of women economists don make dem dey see economic analysis only from men point of view.

For 2018, she bin wan highlight di issue during di biggest gathering of economists for UK. She waka completely naked enta di room full of top academics.

"I dey physically tiny. I no dey very strong physically. I no be threat to anyone. But if you dey nake for room, pipo for some reason see you as a threat."

During dat event she write RESPECT on her body using board marker to draw attention to her demand and as a result she manage to have conversation wit di dignitaries wey attend di gala dinner.

Boorish reaction

During di very divisive political campaign wey lead to UK leaving di European Union, wey dem sabi as Brexit, she stage naked protest for public.

Few of di pipo wey dey look take foto and dem post am for social, causing many nasty comments.

Some men comment about her breasts and pubic hair. One even imagine say she bin get her academic qualifications by sleeping wit her professors.

As a result dem warn Bateman say she dey destroy her academic achievements by showing di world her body.

"But di most seriously bitter and harsh attacks on me come from women. E bin get dis British woman on social media wey bin dey tell me say I bin dey set feminism back by one hundred years."

She do gbas gbos wit some of di pipo wey find her behaviour irritating and try to explan to her her di reason behind her intention.

In her new book: Naked Feminism - Breaking di Cult of Female Modesty, she address many of dis negative responses.

"I make di case say all women deserve to dey treated as worthy and wit respect, irrespective of dia bodily modesty."

Freedom

Di Cambridge academic believe say, lives of many women go go through serious change if we all stop making assumption based on how much of our body wey pipo fit see or wey we fit to cover. She give di example of sex workers.

"We brush dem under di carpet. We label dem, we call dem all kinds of horrible names and take dis view say dem no sabi wetin dem dey do. And we go fit beta judge for dem wetin dey right for dem."

She find dis attitude extraordinarily arrogant, and elitist.

"We still get long way to go in terms of changing di way we tink."

Women dey do most of di work wey no get pay including cooking, cleaning, fetching food or water, and caring for children and di elderly.

British charity Oxfam say if dem dey pay women even di minimum wage for such work, di value of di payment go pass more dan 10 trillion dollars. But plenty discussion no dey around dis.

Bateman say she cherish evri opportunity to stand up naked against powerful men and dia policies.

She dey also give speech and participate in academic events witout her clothes.

She say her activism neva affect her class, in fact her students ask her more about feminism, women and di economy dan ever bifor.

"My aim na world wia women dey free to do wetin dem want wit dia body as well as dia brain. I protest headscarf bans as much as I protest compulsory hijab. Society and state no suppose tell women wetinto do wit dia body."