People accuse Muslim culture of being oppressive to women. Women are often forbidden from driving cars, going to universities, and even leaving the home without their husband's permission. I agree that this is unjust and oppressive.
However, the criticism of their concealing style of dress seems empty and hypocritical. In Western culture, society pressures women to spend a lot of time and effort to meet expectations. In the land of Cosmopolitan magazine, almost every magazine at the check-0ut aisle has a scantily clad, plastic surgery (and often digitally) enhanced woman on the cover, whether so-called men's or women's magazines. Every day women make up their faces to match the advertised ideal. They get into outfits that are often tight, constricting, embarrassingly revealing, uncomfortable, and even laughably impractical. The typical women's shoe has a high heel, which is painfully uncomfortable, unhealthy for the foot, and makes walking more difficult. The phrase 'wardrobe malfunction' is a nice way of saying that a woman was pressured into wearing clothing that fails to clothe. Many women now use tape to keep the little bits of clothing they wear from falling off. I don't think women in Muslim countries have to resort to taping their clothing on.
In stark contrast, the style of men's dress in both cultures, and virtually every culture in the world, is virtually the same. They wear loose, comfortable clothing that covers most of the body, except for the head and hands. So typical male attire anywhere in the world will be a button down shirt, pants, and shoes. There are places where men wear robes or kilts, but they are also loose and cover the body.
Muslim dress is oppressive because it is too baggy and concealing, and Western dress is oppressive because it is too tight and revealing. Neither allow women the luxury of dressing as comfortably and dignified as men. This is a case where the middle road is best, and either extreme is unhealthy. The West is right in criticising the oppression of women, but they must stop doing so themselves before criticising others.
2 comments:
The problem is that the West does not see the way Western women dress as oppressive. They see it as modern and empowering. How they came to this idea is rather tragic, but nonetheless the case.
It was, Way Back When(tm) that for a women to achieve a successful position in business she had to 'dress the part' and often this involved less than idea means. While the women rose because they had the brains, it was not for this reason alone. Somehow, the idea has never quite left the culture. And because of this women who have this 'ideal image' are seen as successful, though they may not be, and all others therefore wish to emulate them.
It is doubly sad that these 'ideal' women are most often the very ones who are least idea in character and things that really matter.
Of course, what the West often fails to realize is that these modes of dress are in fact the exact opposite of empowering and are extremely oppressive, not only because of the discomfort issue, or the issues of finances involved to keep up standers. Such modes of dress turn women into things rather than people. Admittedly it is often subconscious, but it does never the less happen. The oft heard cliche 'My eyes are up here' and such like.
Mind the same can happen in Muslim culture by denying women freedoms, but it could also not. It is more likely that such things are 'denied' because of a desire for protection.
On a slightly related note, I am really tired of looking at the above mentioned magazines at work.
Hmmm that's interesting. Sure I've thought of the pressures that women in the Western world face, but I've never juxtaposed it with the Muslim ones..
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