I came across a video that the Today show did and I thought that it went well with what we have been discussing in class as we read The Complete Persepolis. In the video it discusses in the beginning that women are working and doing some of the same things that men do but they are still not on the same level as men. Also it discusses how some of the women get in trouble for not following the dress code.
Some of the women got in trouble for wearing too much makeup and even letting some of their hair slip out from under their veil. Some of the women do not care, they do not let the dress code stop them and some have gotten arrested because they were not following the dress code. Some women go against the authority but when they are told to wear a certain color they were the opposite. Some of these women believe that people show look past the veil and to stop with the stereotypes that all Iranian women do is sit in their houses, when most of them are out and working.
Another thing that I found interesting from this video is that you see women all over Iran with bandages on their faces. It is said in the video that Iran is a nose job nation. Most of the women get nose jobs and it is said that it is encouraged. One women stated that the only body part that is shown because of the dress code is their face so most Iranian women do what they can do to make it perfect.
I just thought that this video was interesting and informing after the little discussion that we had in class about the veil. Here is the link to the video. http://www.today.com/id/20757597#.Upzi7RYttSU
I find this post interesting as well! It is undeniably true that it is believed that Iranian women are extremely oppressed to the point where they do not hold jobs and instead, sit inside their homes all day. In reality, Iranian women have freedoms just like those belonging to American Women. Although we often view them as helpless, Iranian women have jobs and are free to make choices just like American women. Yes it is true that strict religious rules prevent them from making some decisions and it requires them to wear a veil, but like we said in class, most Iranian women seek to respect this requirement and believe in its truth. Although there are protesters like the ones in the article above, these women are fighting against stereotypes just like American women are still fighting against stereotypes of their own. As for the nose job, I think that this makes perfect sense. Just like 'Designer Vagina' article we read, body image affects women in every culture. I'm sure that doctors created this market because they know how important it is to have a good face to show off since it is all Iranian men see. Overall, I think that Iranian women deal with more similar problems to those of American women than we believe to be true.
ReplyDeleteI loved your video! Before I took this class, I, like many other people, thought Iranian society was particularly harsh and unfair when it came to women's rights. The fact that there is a whole fire truck of female fire fighters astounds me. That is unheard of here in the United States. After reading Persepolis and watching this clip, I am quickly realizing that the women aren't as oppressed as I had initially made them out to be. With that being said, there are still many unfair disadvantages that they face that we don't worry about in the West like the veils being worried about wearing too much make up.
ReplyDeleteJulie also made an excellent point by comparing it to the beauty norms that we read about in "Designer Vaginas." It only makes sense that women would want to make their faces perfectly chiseled because that is the only thing that can be noticed on a woman's body. Oprah had a really good piece of beauty norms around the world back in the day of her talk show. While nose jobs are popular in Iran, the Chinese believe skin and small feet are the most beautiful parts of a woman. In a small tribe in Thailand, long necks are the epitome of beauty. They are able to stretch the neck over time by using stacks or rings around your neck. In some African cultures, the fatter the woman is, the more desirable she is. They put women on an all fat diet early on. In this same cultures, you were considered a true knockout if you were obese and divorced. The link to the website is as followed: http://www.oprah.com/style/Beauty-Around-the-World/5