Sinead King and Katie O’Brien are two twentysomething Brits who make up the Muffia, a performance art duo which aims to make a feminist statement by flashing their merkin (that’s a pubic wig!) clad crotches in the streets of London. Their message? That more women, and men for that matter, need to be discussing issues that are relevant to women’s lives. “Why don’t we resent the way the media portrays women?” they question. “Does no one care that women are mutilating themselves with cosmetic surgery? Why do so few young women know what feminism is?”

In addition to the “pubic performances,” they also dress up in body stockings, scrawling messages like, “Lose a few pounds” on each other’s figures. O’Brien even camped outside Topshop, vomiting into a bucket, to protest the retailer’s use of ultra-thin models. In general, their performances/antics/actions have garnered some laughs, some praise, and a few detractors. Performance art can often be, um, really bad, but I find O’Brien and King’s message important, even if their methods might be shocking to some of you. What do you think? [Guardian UK]
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