Blah blah choice blah
rcabbasi:
peteschult:
lesilencieux:
“Wearing a hijab isn’t inherently liberating – but neither is baring one’s breasts. What is liberating is being able to choose either of these things. It’s pretty ludicrous to think that oppression is somehow proportional to how covered or uncovered someone’s body is. Both sides of this argument present a shallow understanding of women’s empowerment, which only drowns out the substantive challenges facing all women – issues that cannot be encapsulated in a debate about a piece of fabric.”
—
Actually, I am sympathetic to the “it’s my choice” point of view, but for the choice to be valid, it really does have to be a choice of that woman, not of some oppressive cultural standard that the woman has internalized and has convinced herself that she has chosen.
You know what, fair enough. But here’s my question: do Muslim women get the benefit of the doubt for having made this decision of their own accord, or is that a privilege reserved for others? Because I seriously doubt you extend the same logic to both sides of the spectrum. I doubt that when a woman walks down the street in booty shorts, you analyze the circumstances of her “choice” because it really does have to be that to be “valid” and not some oppressive cultural standard that she’s internalized, right?
It’s hypocritical, racist, and stupid to imply that Muslim women lack the capacity to make their own conscious decisions about what they wear, as if that ability lies solely in the domain of white Western women who, funnily enough, also make decisions about their appearance within the context of a patriarchal society. But apparently when Western women do that, it’s their own progressive, liberated thinking making the choice.
It’s been said so much but obviously needs repeating — the hypersexualization of women and enforced modesty are the same thing. Both define the value of women in relation to the male gaze. Both present a shallow understanding of women’s empowerment.
You know what is ridiculous about people like this? That they believe that they know more than the women who wear the hijab themselves. They, an outsider, has the audacity to figure out exactly why women wear hijab and then suddenly they have more knowledge about the hijab than Muslim women do.
Look, I get it; Beyoncé is a successful, self-possessed black woman with a career, a family, a tonne of money, a ridiculous body, a strong sense of self, and an apparent desire to live her life openly without hiding those things like they’re some kind of shameful secret. It’s offensive and terrifying, and God forbid a young girl should find herself inspired by such a woman. But calling her anti-feminist for celebrating her family (which Tami Winfrey Harris, Morgane Richardson, and Andrea Plaid discussed in February), calling her a bad role model for celebrating her body, accusing her of ambivalence for defining her relationship with feminism for herself, or accusing her of promoting child trafficking with her sparkly leotards and sexy dancing is just ridiculous and stupid. And there has to be something else we can be taking on.
Oh also, if you have any personal questions you want to ask me, my personal blog is here. And if you want to be a mod PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO ASK ME.
Okay, I want to clarify a few things:
- I’m not saying woc aren’t oppressed. I’m not saying that anyone should silence the woc that are oppressed by different factors. It’s important to create a dialogue where every woc has a say in their oppression, and not just the women who are more free than others. If I do something that is wrong, please call me out on it.
- I cannot be a spokesperson for all WoC. All I do is run this blog and it was honestly a reaction to white feminism who consider woc oppression to be as similar as white women’s, which it is not. I cannot always comment on cultural appropriation from different cultures. I am a Bangladeshi, I am desi, and I can only comment on that, so this is why I can’t always answer your questions.
- I cannot also be the spokesperson for people who are confused about their racial identity. Your racial identity is yours to choose, and I can’t be someone who dictates that for you.
- Thank you for the compliments on my blog!! Unfortunately I can’t post all of them but I do read every message I promise you. I just can’t always respond, or if you want I can respond privately to you as well.
- I’m still looking for another mod for this blog please I can’t do this all on my own D: I would prefer the other mod to be nondesi because I am desi myself and obdgt does not only cater to desi women.
Why aren’t more people freaking out about the new Venezuelan labor law?
my family is white and american, which means we are some very privileged people. but we are also muslim, and I had been muslim since the day I was born. people either think I am lying or feel the need to try to convert me to a "more positive religion" such as christianity or catholism. the people shouting about being oppressed are oppressing me.
Anonymous
my father was born in italy, and my mother was born in ireland, and they both came to the states and married and blah blah blah: they had me. I look mostly italian and I have a sharp accent and I speak italian fluently, because it's important to keep to my roots, but I have my mother's very pale, very fair skin. seeing so many darker colors in my family, I've come to support woc as much as I can, but people only see my white skin and judge me as a stereotypical fake. how can I change this?
Anonymous
listen to woc
that really is it.
