Today in class there was a comment on middle eastern fashion while still covering the body. I follow a couple muslim fashion bloggers (and their Instagrams) and have admire their keen eye for fashion and their interpretation of it without having to compromise their cultural and religious traditions/customs.
My roommate is muslim so often times I'll have her explain the meanings and significance of islamic tradition/middle eastern culture, particularly dealing with wearing hijab. My understanding (my roommates explaination) -I state I am not a scholar on this subject nor do intend to be so if someone knows otherwise correct me- is that the purpose for this act is to cover the body from the sight of man and the public as a form of modesty, especially to avoid objectification and sexualization of women. Hair, arms, hips and legs are the main body parts covered in my observations.
There are two particular bloggers that I avidly follow and while doing so I have encountered and read criticism of their ensembles by their followers: one blogger for choosing to stop wearing hijab and another one for not wearing it "right" and being a bad example to their female muslim audience.
Fashion is a form of expression and personal interpretation to trends, and while they do not reveal as much of their body as is conventionally seen in western culture, they still wear make-up, sky-high heels, and other "feminine" accessories.
So my question is: are they still submitting to the male gaze, but in a minimized manner?
Check out this blog to see examples
Hybrid in a Headpiece
That blog is so cool! I would have to say that the woman in that blog, even though she wears a headpiece, she is definitely submitting to the male gaze with her make-up and choice of dress. However, I also feel that women who live in the Middle East who wear full coverings, but still wear heels and makeup, etc are still submitting to the male gaze. But I think that one could argue that by wearing full-coverings then they are submitting to the male gaze--it is just a male gaze that is different from our culture. Maybe men in the Middle East--traditionalist men--find it attractive when a woman is wearing full coverings...? So by wearing full coverings then they would be submitting to the male gaze.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrea that when these women wear the full coverings and hijabs they are submitting to a different form of the male gaze. While I was in Istanbul this time last year, I tried to talk as many girls as possible about their religion, how they interpret it and adapt it to their lifestyle and how it meshes with their parents opinions. It was interesting to see a more modern version of the coverings in the university setting and how much more traditional the coverings became as I drifted further away from the university area. Girls in the university wore hijabs with shoes on them, cell phones on them, puppies, etc. Just as we shop for make-up or high heels, these girls went to stores that sold expensive, colorful, and detailed hijabs. Although this was a more modern take on the religious outfit, I still wondered why some of the students wore them. If you were not dressed in the proper attire, men honked, yelled and called at you constantly. So, by wearing the hijab/covering you didn't receive this attention by men. I couldn't help but wonder why women had to become restricted in dress for the actions of a man? Shouldn't the men be forced to change their ways instead?
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