Our class discussion today about veils in Trinh T. Minh-ha’s
“Not Like You/Like You: Postcolonial Women and the Interlocking Questions of
Identity and Difference” got me thinking about America’s perception of the
traditions of other cultures.
Sometimes our culture looks at Muslim women who
wear veils or burkas and immediately words such as “oppressed” come to mind.
Minh-ha does a good job of pointing out that, “the act of unveiling has a
liberating potential, so does the act of veiling. It all depends on the context
in which such an act is carried out, or more precisely, on how and where women
see dominance (930).” Without a doubt, veils can be used by men to oppress
women, but I think that sometimes as a culture we forget that veils can also be
liberating for women. Women should be able to “lift the veil…in defiance of
their men’s oppressive right to their bodies… [or] put on the veil they once
took off …to reappropriate their space or to claim a new difference in the
defiance of genderless, hegemonic, centered standardization.” Once again, it is
all about the context. I think this cartoon illustrates some of Minh-ha’s ideas
about context and subjectivity.
I totally agree with you. Right now I am in a class called Women in Global Cinema and we have talked a lot about veiling and Middle Eastern culture. I have had to watch documentaries that explore both sides of the issue. In the U.S., people automatically assume that the women are oppressed and don't want to wear the veil. However, in the Middle East, it really depends on what country you are in and who you talk to. Some women love wearing the veil because it is empowering, shows the importance of religon in their lives, shows that they are pure, valued for their minds instead of just looks, and feel fashionable. Other women hate it because they feel oppressed, are forced to wear it, hate how much it covers, limits their freedom, and don't understand it. There are also laws in certain countries that force women to wear the veil or say that they are not allowed. Ultimately, it should be a personal decision. People should have the right to express themselves however they want. There are also many different types of veiling practices, so women should pick the one that they feel fits them best, if they choose to veil themselves at all.
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