This week’s reading generally focuses on women, but more specifically what they wear. One question that sums up all the readings for me would be, “Is it the clothes that define the women or is it the woman who defines the clothes”? What sets Muslim women apart from other women would be the clothing they wear-specifically the veil. Western women generally are under the influence that what defines the women are the veils. “The veil symbolizes the women’s oppression!” On the other hand Muslim women would say that the veil represents what they want it to represent. It amazes me how one subject or object can have so many different concepts. The readings give us as readers a deep understanding of many stereotypes for Middle Eastern women. The reading essentially breaks down for the reader how the Western culture’s beliefs and stereotypes came to be.
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I am a woman
I have long hair and exotic eyes
I have long shapely legs that are strong from walking
I have breasts that provide food and pleasure
I have organs that allow me to produce life
I am atomically the same as any other woman
I am a woman
I wear long clothes to hid my body from the sight of men I do not know
I wear dark clothing because white is too revealing
I wear a veil to protect my head and face from the elements
I wear a veil to show my religion
I wear a veil because of all it represents
I wear a veil because it shows how comfortable I am and how at ease I am with my body
You are a woman
You have light hair compared to my dark
You have long shapely legs just like me
We are the same and take pride in the same things…
Family, friends, faith and love
What makes us so different? A bit of cloth?
