First World Oppression
Eric Lafforgue/Calvin Klein Ad
In a society surrounded by Western images of the sexualized female, the veil allows for a post-modern alternative, a post-face society.
If we are truly to believe that the veil symbolizes submission to men, what are we to believe Western clothing symbolizes?
My claim is that contrary to Western conceptions of “third world women,” the veil is a motif of liberation for some, a barrier between the female and exploitation. Away from the pressure of the media's ideals of perfection, the veiled woman overcomes her own body, can create her own ideals of beauty, and is respected as more than a physical entity. This is not to say that the veiled woman has a suppressed sexuality, but that this sexuality is funneled towards her marriage – in the home.
Is it so hard to believe that Muslim women consider dressing scantily in public a repressive choice, and covering up a liberating experience? “If you've got it, flaunt it.” WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?
-Sylvia Lucas, “ Unveiling of the Veil.”
23 comments on the article “First World Oppression”
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Anonymous
It's a strange topic. Personally, I enjoy being covered up because then they basically ignore me.
Though some still are weird when I'm not dressed up... but anyway...
Dressed up I tend to get a different reaction and more attention that I don't care for.
So Being "covered up" just makes me feel more that I'm making it clear I don't want to be touched or looked at. So when I take something off or bare something willingly it means something to me personally and I'm very aware of it.
But it goes into how you feel about what sensuality or sexuality is.
Part of women's "power" is sensuality... so I think it just makes men uncomfortable.
Michele D.
Many women feel they are closer to God when they are wearing their veil..much the same as a Catholic nun would while wearing her habit. Are catholic nuns suffering from oppression, no they choose.
fem·i·nism/ˈfeməˌnizəm/Noun:
The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.
Therefore a woman should not be considered oppressed if she is choosing to wear a veil, whether it be to please her husband or feel closer to god...whatever the reason..her choice is her choice and as women when we choose we are free!
Anonymous
What is this moral relativism nonsense! The West is bigoted because it doesn't like the idea of gender veiling? Oh please, stop drooling this post-modern crap!
Aunty Penny
While I'm not sure I agree 100%, I do think it an excellent and thought-provoking argument
anonymous
Women should be able to walk in the street wearing only string bikinis without getting stared at, and I should be able to walk throuh the Castro wearing a g-string and never get cat called.
Samuel
This post makes itself rather irrelevant, since it doesn't seem to grasp the distinction between choice and non-choice. But I also find it very offensive. It's offensive to those Muslim women for whom the veil is NOT a choice. It's offensive to western women who have been raped and then been told they were asking for it because of they way they were dressed. It's even offensive to men, since the point of the veil is that men are unable to control their sexual urges around women.
What is with "postmodern" feminists defending the most repressive patriarchal culture in the world?
Anonymous
Thank you, Adbusters. You have made your priorities very clear to me now.
Anonymous
I appreciate the author's point. And yes, the sexualization of women in the West stands in glaring opposition to a certain liberation wherein a woman, if chosen (and yes, the question of choice is an issue at both ends of the spectrum), creates a beauty distinct from her body. This should be respected. But I cannot help but wonder at the more practical problem of simple expression: how much is lost in covering the face, this vessel of communication? How much more work is it to rely only on your words to convey meaning and what higher standard are you held to when it is only through your voice that you can communicate? The sexualized ideal is something that we make ourselves sick working towards. In contrast, to escape this oppression we lose a most basic tool of expression. Seems to me we are getting screwed whichever way we choose.
graphalfkor
I think the practically naked models and such aren't so deeply thought out as they're designed to simply program women into overstimulating the economy and spend spend spend. It gives them a comparative template 'hey, wanna be this sexy bitch? Gotta be wearing the Victoria secret bra & panties' and it obviously works.
Sonia1980
So we should ask women to cover their body in order for men to consider them equal??? Shouldn't we fight for the recognition of the fact that women and men deserve the respect of each others both for their equality and their differences? Men must evolve into thinking being, without women being forced to cover up too much or undress excessively!!!
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