http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/eleven-things-women-in-saudi-arabia-cannot-do
I came across an article about the life of women in Saudi Arabia. This article specifically talked about eleven things that women are forbidden to do. I was shocked when reading about some of the things that women are not aloud to do as some of these are every day activities that women in the United States and other countries perform on a daily basis. Some of these include going anywhere without a male chaperone, driving a car, wearing clothes or makeup that "show off their beauty," interact with men that are not family members, go for a swim, compete freely in sports, and try on clothes when shopping. Other unusual laws forbid women of Saudi Arabia to enter a cemetery, purchase a Barbie doll, and read an uncensored fashion magazine. This is just one example of how women in the Middle East are treated unfairly compared to men and are basically classified as objects rather than free living people.
When comparing the lives of women in Saudi Arabia to the United States, they are obviously complete opposites. Women in Saudi Arabia are forbidden to show their skin or wear makeup that would enhance their beauty, where in the United States, girls at a young age are pushed by society to wear as much make up and show as much skin as possible in order to gain the attention of men and show off their beauty. In America, boys and girls are together and interact with one another as soon as they can walk and talk. They go to school together, share public places, and even participate on the same sports teams together. They are encouraged to reach out to the opposite sex to form friendships and relationships, which is not aloud in some Middle East countries. Instead, in most parts of Saudi Arabia, men and women have segregated public transportation, parks, beaches, and amusement parks. A favorite activity amongst American women is shopping. They enjoy going on shopping trips with friends and trying on a countless number of outfits to see what looks the best. Saudi Arabian women are forbidden to even try on clothes because the idea of them disrobed in a dressing room is "too much for men to handle."
This article relates to the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, that was read and discussed in class. In this story, it is described how the school that Marjane attends is now segregated between boys and girls and she is no longer aloud to freely do the activities that she once enjoyed and had the freedom to do. The year is 1980, and she is now forced to wear a veil, hiding her face and body. When talking about having to wear this, she says "We didn't really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn't understand why we had to" (1.5). This shows that there is really no reason behind why these girls had to wear the veil, other than that it was demanded by the men to do so.
It is very interesting to see the things that women in other countries are not allowed to do, such as the things mentioned in the article. It really makes me raise an eyebrow because some of the things just don’t make sense to me. For example not entering a cemetery and not purchasing a Barbie don’t seem like very plausible rules for women to follow. I wonder how a WGSS class would be conducted in Saudi Arabia because I know the US has its fair share of problems, but Saudi Arabia seems to be on a whole other level of insanity. Iran seems to be another country that is in complete disarray. Satrapi writes about the conflicts she faced her whole life, and it seems like other countries have it way worse than the US. She says that she doesn’t understand why she has to wear the veil, and I can’t even imagine how confused Saudi Arabian women are that they can’t buy Barbies. The US has its fair share of oppression and the social structure is definitely unfavorable, but at the same time it can always be worse, as shown in Saudi Arabia and Iran. We have problems with the wage gap and oppression, but at least all of us have the right to vote, drive, and play with Barbies.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost crazy to think about other people's cultures especially one so vastly different from our own. No matter how different someone's culture is, I feel it is very important to respect it but with this one I find difficulty. When it comes to women that feel this way of living is what they desire I have no problem but the fact that there are women in these situations and no way out is despicable. These women's autonomy is being completely violated and at the core of any rules there should always be a respect for basic human rights.
ReplyDeleteThis article taught me that women in Saudi Arabia are treated more like property than human. I think it is ridiculous that women are not allowed to travel places without having a male accompany them. Women are capable of going to places without having a male present. There is no need to have men traveling with women. I also thought it was absurd that women could not purchase Barbies, especially when statistics say that mostly women collect them and play with them. I do not understand why they would not be able to purchase them if Barbies’ main aim of consumers is primarily female. When it comes to fashion magazines, I think it is wrong that one fashion magazines are censored and two women can only read censored magazines. I find it sad that women in Saudi Arabia cannot approach men the way that women in America do. They should be able to freely communicate with the opposite sex whenever they want. I also think that females of all ages should be allowed to wear as much or little make up as they please. As long as they feel confident and beautiful that is all that matters. Women should be able to freely express themselves with the clothes they want to wear and the make-up they want to wear. It should not be an issue that women want to wear whatever they want and the fact that it is one of the biggest problems in Saudi Arabia is ridiculous. It also should not be an issue that women want to wear make-up. Make-up can be an art and Saudi Arabian culture should be more accepting of it. I feel that women should be able to do whatever the men can do. Saudi Arabian culture should be more accepting of equal opportunity and equality in general. Women should not have to ever feel inferior to men and should always feel accepted. They should never be treated like property, let alone feel like they are property. They are much more than that and the Saudi Arabian culture should be aware of that. Women should have the same value as men and be treated as equally as the men. There is no need for them to be treated differently than men. There is no need for women to feel less than men and men should never put women down. They should be more open minded towards women because women are capable of doing things that men can do.
ReplyDeleteThis article taught me that women in Saudi Arabia are treated more like property than human. I think it is ridiculous that women are not allowed to travel places without having a male accompany them. Women are capable of going to places without having a male present. There is no need to have men traveling with women. I also thought it was absurd that women could not purchase Barbies, especially when statistics say that mostly women collect them and play with them. I do not understand why they would not be able to purchase them if Barbies’ main aim of consumers is primarily female. When it comes to fashion magazines, I think it is wrong that one fashion magazines are censored and two women can only read censored magazines. I find it sad that women in Saudi Arabia cannot approach men the way that women in America do. They should be able to freely communicate with the opposite sex whenever they want. I also think that females of all ages should be allowed to wear as much or little make up as they please. As long as they feel confident and beautiful that is all that matters. Women should be able to freely express themselves with the clothes they want to wear and the make-up they want to wear. It should not be an issue that women want to wear whatever they want and the fact that it is one of the biggest problems in Saudi Arabia is ridiculous. It also should not be an issue that women want to wear make-up. Make-up can be an art and Saudi Arabian culture should be more accepting of it. I feel that women should be able to do whatever the men can do. Saudi Arabian culture should be more accepting of equal opportunity and equality in general. Women should not have to ever feel inferior to men and should always feel accepted. They should never be treated like property, let alone feel like they are property. They are much more than that and the Saudi Arabian culture should be aware of that. Women should have the same value as men and be treated as equally as the men. There is no need for them to be treated differently than men. There is no need for women to feel less than men and men should never put women down. They should be more open minded towards women because women are capable of doing things that men can do.
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