Reuters Gives Afghan Women a Makeover

by Racialicious special correspondent Fatemeh Fakhraie

Jon Hemming for Reuters reports that a city in Afghanistan has its own answer to America’s Next Top Model. The news agency boasts that the television show “is breaking boundaries and revealing the beauty under the burqa.” (Thanks to NayLah for the tip!)

But before going on to totally ignore which kind of boundaries are being broken, Reuters is haughty enough to paint a quick Orientalist picture of Afghan women: “almost all women in deeply conservative Afghanistan still only appear in public wafting past in the burqa’s pale blue, their dark eyes only occasionally visible behind the bars of its grille” (my emphasis). Using words like “wafting” and commenting on “their dark eyes,” Reuters eroticizes Afghan women, making it seem like just going out to get the day’s groceries is an act full of sensuality! Apparently, in Afghanistan, there’s always somebody cute in the grocery store.

But don’t forget! Reuter’s use of the phrase “behind the bars of its [the burqa’s] grille” reminds us that these poor, sexy women are unfortunate prisoners of their brutal man-folk or their terribly oppressive religion! These women can’t possibly be making the choice to wear a burqa (or, as it’s really known in Afghanistan, the chaadari—again, good job, Reuters).

I have to apologize for my zealous sarcasm. But, come on! It’s been six years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, and we’re still hearing Orientalist crap like this? We can’t get past the myths that all Muslim men are all savagely controlling or Islam is totally oppressive to women? Really? Even the title “Afghan models reveal the beauty under the burqa” makes it seem like the burqa is imprisoning these women.

Anyway, back to Afghan’s next top model. Reuters feeds its readers the idea that, by simply participating in this show, Afghan women are changing the entire country (despite the fact that this show is only aired in one liberal city). But they don’t illustrate how this could change anything. The article talks of all the boundaries the show breaks and all the opportunities these girls have—but they don’t go into any detail. What opportunities is this show really going to give Afghan women? The chance to illustrate the idea that Westernization doesn’t necessarily equate to liberation or liberalization? Will the winner of the contest actually get a modeling contract?

The author also quickly breezes over the fact that there is opposition to the show by some Afghans, making it seem like any outrage over Afghan women wearing camouflage combat trousers is totally unjustified. But in a country that is currently occupied by a foreign military presence that a large part of the population has a problem with, camouflage doesn’t seem like a sensitive choice.

Reuters also has a quote by Afghan Muslim cleric Abdul Raouf, just to reinforce the idea that Afghan men are threateningly oppressive: “According to Sharia law, Islam is absolutely against this. Not only is it banned by Islamic Sharia law, but if we apply Sharia law and to take this issue to justice, these girls should be punished.” But Hemming doesn’t press him on why this is against shari’a law. What part is Islam against? Television? Women on television? Women wearing military clothes on television? None of that sounds familiar to me.

And what does shari’a specifically ban? Reuters doesn’t press him for definitive answers, so readers may just assume he’s right, and that Islam really does ban women from television, or whatever it is that he thinks Islam is against. He also says that the girls should be punished. For doing what? How? Leaving the statement at “these girls should be punished” is really menacing and just bolsters the idea of an aggressive Afghan guy.

Wait a minute! Further in the story, a young Afghan man totally contradicts the cleric: “It [the show] also complies with Afghan culture, so it’s fine.” But again we’re left hanging: readers still have no idea how the show is or isn’t okay with Afghans.

I’m glad to see that women are taking a larger place for themselves in public society: for example, the 18-year-old producer of the show is an Afghan woman. I just wish that Jon Hemming and Reuters weren’t so obliviously optimistic.

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Modeling » Reuters Gives Afghan Women a Makeover on 09 Oct 2007 at 8:00 am

[...] Mr. Boffo wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptJon Hemming for Reuters reports that a city in Afghanistan has its own answer to America’s Next Top Model. The news agency boasts that the television show “is breaking boundaries and revealing the beauty under the burqa. … [...]
Beauty and the ‘burqua’ « Feminist Philosophers on 11 Oct 2007 at 6:11 am

[...] which note, such misconceptions are, as Racialicious points out here, only perpetuated by the Reuters write up. There, Fateham Fakhraie [...]

Comments

gatamala wrote:

Please don’t let this be an America-funded show.

Posted 09 Oct 2007 at 8:27 am ¶
Meena wrote:

do the models get to dress up like sexy dead corpses just like on tyra’s ANTM? lol

but its pretty amazing that the producer is female and 18

Posted 09 Oct 2007 at 4:58 pm ¶
Mike wrote:

Great post.

Posted 09 Oct 2007 at 10:19 pm ¶
tw33ny wrote:

As a woman from a third world country that is quite conservative I must say, that despite what many Americans think, for us it can be liberating to have modelling shows and the opportunity to show our sexuality. We want the freedom to express if we are sluts or prudes, girly or tomboy etc. If too much sexual freedom and Americanization = a country flooded with whores, I think it’s better than a country that represses the sexually free woman and condemns their actions. If I want to wear a mini skirt/shorts (considered the uniform of a prostitute in my country), no one should have anything to say about it (often girls would get arrested for wearing mini skirts)! I love ANTM because they can be naked/sexual on TV and not fear for their lives because of it. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s their choice! I sincerely doubt Afghani women currently have much choice in the matter.

That aside the reporter was exotifying them in the most ridiculous way. But at least he quoted a man who echoed the way many strict Afghani men (and men in my country) think – why pretend it’s not like that?

Posted 09 Oct 2007 at 11:39 pm ¶
egypt4 wrote:

Tw33ny, thanks so much for your comments. I’m American but living in Egypt and was also reading this story differently because here, it is the case that many women dress they way they do (including if they wear a veil) because their fathers or husbands tell them to dress this way. Many women might choose to dress the same way, but for many women, there is no choice.

Posted 10 Oct 2007 at 8:01 am ¶
Safiya wrote:

“it is the case that many women dress they way they do (including if they wear a veil) because their fathers or husbands tell them to dress this way. Many women might choose to dress the same way, but for many women, there is no choice.”

That is such a simplistic statement.

Cultural/religious norms are not the same as males telling someone to dress a certain way.

Traditional dress is exactly that, traditional dress e.g what people usually wear. A light jilbab is far more comfortable in the heat then tight clothing.

Aside from that great article. This is orientalist soundbiting of a culture and religion – again. It’s just yet more veil fetishising.

Posted 10 Oct 2007 at 1:40 pm ¶
egypt4 wrote:

It *is* simplistic and exactly what many, many Egyptian women have told me. Many Egyptian Muslim women who do not wear hijab are upset by the increasing number of women in hijab or (even worse to them) niqab. They see this as the influence of the “Gulfies” (their word, not mine).

The thing is that cultural norms and traditional clothing are NOT the same here. Many women today in Egypt wear the hijab (the veil covering their hair and neck), but even five years ago far fewer did. Twenty years ago, very few women in Egypt wore the hijab. So this is not about “cultural clothing” at all.

And this information is coming from Egyptian Muslim women I know. Women who are devout Muslims, who are fasting, who pray, etc. We’re not talking infidels here.

And I don’t mean men generally (ie the patriarchy) tell wives and/or daughters what to wear in certain circumstances. I mean it literally, as in, a father tells his teenage daughter to wear a veil and she does… except when she’s in a more western institution and out of site of dad and she takes it off (I see this everyday where I work; some young women keep it on but many remove it–now you try arguing that it’s their “choice” to wear hijab).

There are many, many devout Muslim women in Egypt who do NOT wear hijab. So you can’t dismiss this as “traditional” or “cultural” or “religious.” *That* is simplistic.

Why can’t we accept that some women in the Middle East would prefer not to dress a way they feel they must?

Posted 11 Oct 2007 at 4:03 am ¶
Nandini wrote:

The idea that these women choose to wear hijabs, veils etc is ridiculous. The word choice has meaning, you know: there must be more than one “choice” to choose from, and I can bet anything that for these women, it’s “dress conservatively” or “face the consequences”.

I’m from India, which is way more liberal than even supposedly progressive Muslim places like Dubai, and even after leaving that country for good I *still* face the stifling pressure to dress “modestly” whenever I return.

And the fact that this pressure is faced for most part by young married women (older women have given up, young unmarried women have a modicum of freedom) – doesn’t that point to the inherent patriarchalism behind this form of oppression, more than anything else?

Posted 11 Oct 2007 at 7:52 am ¶
Safiya wrote:

There are over 1 billion Muslims worldwide, not just in Egypt.

As for traditional and cultural norms, this is very much a class issue. Western dress was/is seen as a sign of sophistication and wealth, whereas traditional dress was for the “balady”. Being religiously observant was viewed in a similar light. Look at where the strongest support for the Muslim Brotherhood is, it’s in the poorer areas.

Stating “gulfi influence” as a reason for increased hijab wearing masks the fact that in many secularly governed Muslim-majority countries, until recently wearing hijab was a sign of being a dangerous fundamentalist, which could lead to harassment or worse.

This is still occurring in Tunisia on a daily basis, where women wearing hijab are frequently assualted by the authorities.

I tell you what is ridiculous, women can state that they choose to wear hijab, niqab whatever and there will still be those who say that we could never possibly choose that.

I find that extremely oppressive.

Posted 11 Oct 2007 at 1:53 pm ¶
egypt4 wrote:

Safiya, of course there are Muslims beyond Egypt. I thought I was pretty clear that I was referring to Egypt alone. In fact, really to Cairo only.

Yes, many women choose to wear hijab. And many don’t choose to and wear it anyway because someone else has chosen for them. That is my point.

And, it’s a point you seem to make on your blog as well.

So Eid Mubarak to you. I’m off for the holidays and going to celebrate.

Posted 11 Oct 2007 at 2:28 pm ¶
egypt4 wrote:

By the way, Carmen and Fatemeh, this is a fascinating topic–I’d love to see a follow up post on this show.

Posted 16 Oct 2007 at 4:33 pm ¶
SolShine7 wrote:

What an interesting and relevant topic. I’d definitely like to see a follow-up on this story.

Posted 17 Oct 2007 at 11:56 pm ¶