Commentator draws backlash over festival parade post
Not the actual photo mentioned in the article
Local commentator Sandra Phillip Hodge has come under heavy criticism, while also receiving support from some social media users, after sharing a photograph of a scantily clad female reveller during this year’s August Monday Festival Parade and questioning whether the territory should introduce a dress code for the event.
The Facebook post, which featured the back view of a woman participating in one of the parade troupes, quickly generated hundreds of reactions and comments, with users divided over whether Hodge had raised a legitimate concern about public standards or had unfairly singled out an individual.
In her original post, Hodge questioned whether longstanding expectations about public dress in the Virgin Islands still existed.
“I am not trying to be controversial, but isn’t there a ‘dress code’ in the BVI as to what is acceptable to wear in public?” Hodge wrote. “I suggest the Festival Committee set a dress code for the August Monday Parade, it’s getting worse every year. It’s not just flesh and feathers anymore, it’s the whole backside outta door!” Hodge stated.
The post prompted a flood of responses, with many Facebook users accusing Hodge of publicly shaming a woman who had not consented to having her photograph shared online. “As a woman, you’re very weird for taking a photo of a stranger just to post her online. You can make your point without publicly embarrassing a young woman who never consented to be part of your content,” one commenter wrote. Others questioned why the image had been posted at all, with another asking, “Which pervert took this pic and posted it?”
Still, others defended Hodge’s right to express her opinion, with some agreeing that organisers should consider establishing clearer standards for parade costumes.
As criticism mounted, Hodge issued a follow-up statement explaining her decision to publish the photograph and responding to allegations that she had targeted the woman depicted.
“First of all, there is no face in the picture, so all who know the individual whose butt is shown, you all know more than me,” Hodge stated. She added that the image was taken from “a group on the street” and said she had noticed that “most of the females were wearing the same things they call ‘thongs’.”
Hodge also maintained that the post was intended to highlight what she viewed as changing standards within the territory’s premier cultural celebration.
“The picture is not to hurt anyone because their identity is not shown. It is only there as evidence of what is happening in OUR, BVIslanders Emancipation August Monday Parade,” Hodge stated.
“Everyone is welcome to participate but there must be a decent standard set by decent BVI people,” Hodge added. “This is not Trin-Bago or Rio de Janeiro. This is Road Town, Tortola, not a perfect place by any means, but I know the people whom I respect in this territory are people of decency who would never approve of what is conducted these days in the public sphere.”
The debate unfolded against the backdrop of the Virgin Islands’ annual August Monday Parade, one of the flagship events of the Emancipation Festival, which features troupes, floats, bands and cultural performances through the streets of Road Town.
Participants register under rules established by the Virgin Islands Festival & Fairs Committee, with organisers holding meetings to discuss regulations and judging criteria ahead of the event.
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They just need to shut up and sit down. The old and miserable. Let people live. The place is not heaven. Some of them heart wicked wicked.
Strangely, it’s the same naked women on the parade route who are covered up on the beach. How ironic – Now mek that make sense.
STOP ACTING LIKE WALKING AROUND NAKED IS PLEASING TO GOD OR ANYONE YALL TO EVIL AND WICKED SHOWING YOUR WHOLE BODY TO SAY WHAT PLEASE LEARN TO RESPECT AYO SELF AND STOP LETTING THE DEVIL FOOL YOU
Hmmm… Makes me wonder what the heck the gods were thinking when they came up with the uniform in which humans are clad when brought into this world.
Welcome to No Knicker Virgins Islands
Although our paths have diverged over the past 50 years – during which time have become a staunch proponent of the beauty of the nude – I stand by Sandra on this one.
Always these old worthless souls
lol lets ban bikini and two piece too since we’re a prudeful country and seeing a lil batty makes you sin
YOU A MOOMOO IF YOU WANT WEAR BIKINI GO THE DAMM BEACH NOT ON THE PUBLIC ROAD YOU CANT RESPECT YOURSELF ENOUGH TO WEAR CLOTHES AND THEN WHEN THE MAN GRIND AND LEAVE YALL YOU WONDER WHY LOL
For those who have criticized her for posting a picture to make her point by saying that:
She could have make her point without “publicly embarrassing a young woman who never consented to be part of your content”, let me say this:
The young women who fitted the description publicly embarrassed themselves first by leaving their homes dressed the way they did.
Don’t shift the blame. Mrs. Hodge was just pointing out their depravity and calling for change.
What I saw in many pictures mostly in the jovert among some men and women was just sexual depravity and perversion.
You had some women walking around with their entire behinds exposed with a slitter of a string between their buttocks being choked to death, trying to breathe and hold on for dear life.
They tried to cover it all up with fish net stockings. Well those fishnet stockings could not hide their vulgarity especially when some bent over for the entire world to see.
You had some women humping and grinding other women, some men humping and grinding women, and some women humping and grinding trucks. The only thing that was missing was men humping and grinding each other.
Most disturbing was the simulation of sexual acts openly and displaying their middle fingers for whomever they were directing it to.
I don’t know if some folks realize that in some countries you could get arrested for either dressing a particular way or engaging in simulated sexual acts in public.
Looking at those picture and the behaviors displayed, the Golden Calf Incident from the movie the the Ten Commandants came to mind.
In that scene, when Moses went up Mount Sina1 to speak with God and receive the stone tablets staying there for forty days and forty nights, the people grew restless and not only asked Aaron to make a god for them using their gold in the shape of a calf, they also had a wild festival, dancing and worshiping that idol.
Some of these people behaved as if our enslavement was about sexual bondage, and now that we have been liberated they can now walk the streets half naked and engage in sexually lewd acts to make up for all those years of sexual bondage.
No self-respecting man or woman should behave the way some of these people have and it shameful that this kind of behavior is has become the norm for some and there are not boundaries to ensure a public standard.
We ought to do better. We should do better.
The late cultural icon, Eileene Parson, use to speak out about this in the past. Some people called her all sorts of name when she did, but I now see and understand her position.
More and more people need to speak up here. We need to clean up our Emancipation festivities from the vulgar displays that has been thrown in everyone’s faces including the faces of our impressionable young children. We need a change.
You seem to have covered the subject very closely.
I think you encapsulated everything perfectly. Well thank God the men aren’t comfortable with dry humping each other in public as yet. Maybe that will be next….
Boi you hit the head right on the nail
And most of the women and young girls who attend those activity has a 90% chance of ending up a single mother or unmarried cuz of there depraved past…in most cases they don’t change they just end up old behaving the same way and wondering why then can’t have a happy family off them own.
They wonder why every dude them pick up don’t commit to them….like miss you out advertising you body for every man to see and throwing it back like an horny uncontrollable animal. Who in the. Right mind would. Commit to you… crazy.
They just up getting use for them body and ditched after
What’s even crazier they would pick up a man who into the same vulgar lifestyle like them and honestly expect the man to be loyal to them in that lifestyle where everyone else is just as vulgar and horny. You really expect dudes who out there grinding on random women before he met you to commit to your one bumpa?? Lool. You expect a dude who out partying and drinking to be a responsible and loyal parent?? Wildddd
She need to draw attention of RVIPF for she know where
The parade for a so called Emancipation Festival should have standards. If we want to have a carnival then let’s go ahead and change the name to BVI Carnival/Virgin Islands Carnival. Exposing your sexual parts and sexual behavior in the middle of the street during a parade is not emancipated behavior.
Exposing themselves for a little attention. So pathetic. Think more highly about yourselves ladies. You don’t need to shake your a** for a camera to get attention..Well, I guess for some it’s the easiest way.
I agree with you 100%. One set of dirty nasty females about the place. They have no decency or class about themselves. Bunch of ghetto hood rat females. You can take them out the ghetto but you can’t take the ghetto out of them. Pure ratchetness.
I dont care what no one comment after this but in my opinion if those young ladies thought anything about themselves, They wouldn’t dress like that and behave in that manner. Total nastiness
Beauty fades but brains is forever. Women that exposes themselves in that manner is looking for attention. Have some dignity and respect for yourselves ladies.The men may look and lick their lips but it means nothing. All they are looking for is a hit and run. Most of you women have no class about yourselves. The fake eyelashes/batwings, lace fronts, claws on your fingers, cement chest and cement BBL don’t mean a damn thing. In the end a men don’t like fake bodies and running his fingers through fake tracks and glue. Lol, most of the women in the BVI real hair is permanently damaged and have bald spots from the damage of weaves and hair glue. Snatch one of those B’s weave off and you will see.
Which caribbean parade has women dressed like nuns in the buring sun while they fete?
At this point you looking for things to be outraged about. Sip some tea and be quiet. It’s once a year.
Not too long ago,these VI and its people were of reputation and character far above the other Caribbean Islands, lacking all the natured endowed largess of precious minerals,oil gold fertile soil,water with no comparison to the other Caribbean Islands we survived with dignity…crime free,proud and non beggars unlike dem
Notably the islands peoples that are now sinking these VI as their new found purgatory will forever be unwanted and despised everywhere and elsewhere. Demonic entities they remain.
These VI,take note and blame yourselves. You cannot change demons…let them remain in their realm and throw piss in their direction. Throwing your pearls at pigs is an abomination.Mathew 7:6
Dear Ms. Sandra. Thank you for your commentary but Proverbs chapter 9 verse 8 says “Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”
Mind your biznass and Leave the people bottom alone.
Really, so what if they were nude, its a Carnival on an island…just enjoy and have fun!
I’m conflicted cause I like to look at batty but would I want my woman/daughter to dress like that? Absolutely not lol
Helllllll no, I don’t have a daughter but I would not want my woman to look stink like that. I may look at a woman with her nasty behind on display but that is all it is. My woman have respect and dignity about herself.
She knows what to expect. She should have stayed at home. This was her plan when she leaves her house, to come and take people picture… Hoping to be relevant. It’s just mental illness that she was feeding. The lady is enjoying herself minding her own business, then she was ambushed.
The majority of B.V.I people so thin skin ans always easy to get up in their feelings. Photos of femals 95% naked all over the news and online sites. Some, you can see their fsces and others had a little pride and the mask they put on their face bigger than the piece of draws they have on.
Youall take offence of a image of a backside with no face. Is like doing a manicure and the technician take a pic of the hands and fingers only and post.
All the while, ayo miss the whole boat. So the picture on the internet more offend yall more than the behavior in the street? Gee me a freecin break. I bet if I haul on my gstring and cut my brazier in half and walk down the town all of you will feel disgusted. Does pride and discency go in the trash because its festival or carnival?
I knew what to expect so I simply did not go tp watch the joovay or the parade.
Now another way ayo messy is festival and carnival. It is officially festival but hey mon, it is represented and presented as a carnival. Is logically the same thing.
Get offended when someone say throw up or puke imstead of vomit. Is the same thing.
This is why BVI is where it is. Ayo need to lighten up and, and let people see the so call BVI love ayo slogan use to say. Guess is just a slogan like everything else
We all use to wear mini dress pants and skirt. I was one of them. However, Sandra is entitled to her opinion like just like all of you who are bashing her and, old people are you all future and you all better be careful. IF YOU CHECK THE WEATHER THE BREADFRUITS ARE FALLING OF THE TREES YOUNG ONES.
The country is just lawless. No one will know its dirty little secrets until someone call them out. The people will know right and still do wrong. All them people who chastising Sandra prefer to agree with the crowd. I’ll stand by Sandra. Y’all opinion don’t make it right in god eyes. Have some decency and pride.
It would appear there were more parade participants than actual spectators. The point of fannies and feathers in the parade is to garner attention and views. Without spectators, there is no one to see your spectacle. People are repulsed by the Temu Brazil carnival and are opting out. Eventually the parade will have to return to its wholesome origins because the birds won’t have a soul on the route to view them. Too far east is always west.
Framing the views of a social media post as an article is not journalism. This is just pure laziness.
They call this mess a parade. There is no decent troops to brag about, all they do is walk up and down the street on the parade route, why waste money on costumes to walk the street. Be more creative, time to come up with something other than feathers, the feathers is played out.
As a man I hate seeing a black woman in a blonde wig or weave and the weave and wig is hell of a long. Now what black woman have natural blonde hair unless she is albino.Some of you black women need to stop making fools and laughing stock of yourselves.
This place would be a sex offender paradise and pedophile paradise I telling you
Based on the support against Ms Sandra. Them convicts would have field day in BVI due to pure ignorance and vanity
We have a ministry that should be concerned with culture. Yet it does not have people who understand culture. This is why the festival is on the decline. The BVI has lost its culture. Two or three events each year when people “dress up” in cultural dress to show BVI culture is nothing. Culturally, society is becoming like children growing up without parental supervision and the government is to blame.
We need a consultant who knows how to build our re-build a culture and we need a budget to support it. Most importantly, we need the leaders to see what is happening and I am sorry to say that on this point, we have already lost the battle. They have no BVI culture in them (only empty words) and they cannot understand culture.
My mother of sainted memory used to tell me what ever you do, positive or Negative. When you do what you do, you get what you get.
These purveyours of self degradation are consistently.,.The mudders of the fatherless caged occupants of the full to the max prison here and elsewhere.
They are always the imported garbage and / or of the Xaribbean island chain.
These VI are the import of the human filth which permeates these Vi as their preferred group of the human dregs chosen from the Caribbean Island hellchain, They are and has been a legendary curse as recorded in the history of the Caribbean . The majority of the women have the ability to give birth by immaculate conception and creating communities and countries of fatherless human frigs,
It’s late in the day, but the following is relevant.
D. H. Lawrence claimed that the sensual passions should be considered equally as sacred as the spiritual passions. For him, the only thing unbearable was the degradation, the prostitution of the living mysteries in us. Lewdness is hateful because it impairs our integrity.
Hear dis ya! He/she with flawless character cast the first rock. What does the law say about public dress, ie, public nudity? I suspect one cannot go topless or bottom less in public. What is legal? What is the moral code? Who set the moral standards in the community? Does the few set standards for the many? Has the change in moral standards evolved over time in the community? Has the national standards change? Has the change in the community resulting from the fracturing of the Village(s)?