Helly Luv, The 'Kurdish Shakira' Takes On ISIS With 'Revolution' Video

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The New York Times ‘Women in the World’ (formerly of The Daily Beast) features pop star Helly Luv, dubbed the ‘Kurdish Shakira’. In her new video ‘Revolution’, Luv rallies men and women in a Kurdish war zone.

“People all around the world, round the world don’t be scared. Come together let ‘em know, let ‘em know, we’re right here,” she sings throughout the video that features real people facing the day-to-day threats of Islamic militants.

Vice writes that the redhead is on ISIS’s radar for ‘Revolution’. Her ‘Revolution’ video was shot about two miles away from the front line separating ISIS militants and the Kurdish Peshmerga troops.

Helly Luv and her Peshmerga mother fled Iran for Turkey, days after she was born. They lived homeless in Turkey for several years before moving to Finland as refugees. At age 18 Helly moved to LA and made contacts in the music business before returning to the Middle East to create music and videos that combat terrorism with messages of pride, unity and peace.

In her own words, Luv reveals her determination to stand up to ISIS.

‘Revolution’ is not only the story of Kurds. It’s the story of us all, because ISIS is not just the enemy of Kurds; they’re the enemy of the whole world. It’s our own responsibility to come together, unite, and fight against them. If we don’t, then tomorrow they will expand; they will get more powerful. I went to Los Angeles and created “Revolution” with the same producer and the same staff who did “Risk It All,” and it was the most difficult song to record; I was basically crying the whole time. Violence and terrorism is everywhere. Yesterday, it was in Germany, before that it was Tunis, and before that it was Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Update Kurdish Women Fighters

AOC has followed the incredible story of the Kurdish Women Fighters who are taking on ISIS.

RT.com filmed a documentary ‘Her War: Women VS. ISIS’, telling the story of young Kurdish women in Syria who are defending their country while advancing their hopes of self-government. The Kurds are an ethnic group that is culturally and linguistically related to Iran. The Kurdistan region spans adjoining parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

A new article at Muftah centers on Western media’s romancing of the Kurdish women fighters, promoting them as seekers of democracy.

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Eye | H&M Jumpsuit -- When Style & War Collide | Amazon Women | Burqa Bans

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Redtracker

H&M Apologizes

Radical chic? Kurds Say H&M jumpsuits mimic fighter garb Los Angeles Times

AOC has written frequently and is following the dire situation in Kobani, Syri where beleaguered but incredibly brave Kurdish forces — about one-third of them women, says the BBC — are fighting ferociously against ISIS.

Social media broke out in hives yesterday with H&M’s $19.95 khaki jumpsuit drawing comparisons to those worn by these brave women. It doesn’t matter that khaki jumpsuits have been a staple in fashion almost as long as I’ve walked the face of the earth.

We are presently in a fashion cycle of celebrating strong women, warrior goddesses and even feminists. This mood has nothing to do with the Kurdish women fighters — except that we are all inspired beyond our stylish cocoons by their determination, skills at confronting ISIS and courage.

If Karl Lagerfeld, whose never-closed mouth said in 2009 —purporting to be the voice of Coco Chanel said:

I was never a feminist because I was never ugly enough for that

 

— can now end his Spring 2015 ready-to-wear show with a ‘feminist demonstration’, it’s clear that the Kaiser knows that his long-expressed views around strong are suddenly out of step with the global movement to empower women. Lagerfeld is on the wrong end of his walking stick, and he knows it. Not even his precious fur ball Choupette can put him on the right side of this subject.

Karl Lagerfeld’s flimflam feminism won’t hurt the real thing The Guardian

At AOC, we tell women’s stories from fashion to flogging — often finding intersections between the two. An inherent theme of all our channels is the historical, international shakedown of women’s rights for the sake of male advancement and patriarchal power.

Scholarly Evidence of Amazons On Vases | Kurdish Women Fight On In Brutal ISIS Battles | Fashion’s Warrior Woman Moment AOC Salon

Knowing about the H&M fracas, wanting to call out a new book The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World, important new research cementing the reality of Amazon women warriors in the ancient world, an update on the Kurdish women fighters AND show a few fashion editorials acknowledging the women as warriors trend, we pulled it all together in one cohesive statement.

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Kurdish Women Fighters In Syria Say ISIS Fears Women Soldiers So Much They Shake

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Kurdish Women Fighters In Syria Say ISIS Fears Women Soldiers So Much They Shake

In a media world assaulted with ISIS videos and threats of yet another beheading, the most fabulous story of heroism has emerged around a group of about 7,000 young Kurdish women in Syria who have armed themselves and joined the Women’s Protection Unit, or YPJ, “which grew out of the wider Kurdish resistance movement.”

I’ve covered this story in small bullet points on Eye, but this NBC News feature of dramatic images by New York-based photographer Erin Trieb are an inspiration for our ISIS media-weary souls.

Unlike the Iraqi soldiers who ran from ISIS, the Women’s Protection Unit is fighting to keep their people safe against attacks from Bashar Assad’s government, ISIS militants and the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.