Muslim Women Stereotypes

Given that western clothes and icons were outlawed in conservative Iran, Marjane’s dressing up in jeans, denim jacket, and Nike shoes is an attempt to express her modern outlooks, Satrapi conveys the importance throughout the text reinforcing the conflict between Eastern values and Western values. In this scene, Satrapi embraces both cultures. She wears modern with a Michael Jackson button and Nike, and says ‘of course, my headscarf’. This displays Satrapi’s multiple personal identities: following middle eastern customs while sharing western values. A portrait image of Marjane is illustrated to show that she is proud of who she is and her posture and body language of her standing tall like she wants to show off her personality. But this doesn’t last long when she meets two guardians of the revolution that arrest women who are improperly arrested. When Marjane is caught, expressionism is used when Marjane is bawling her eyes out. The eyes look ghost-like representing the whole idea swapping personalities so that she could fit the government's likings. Marjane is not being able to fully express herself by wearing the clothes she wanted, doing her hair how she wanted, or listening to the music she wanted. From a young age is prevented Marjane from finding her identity and making her feel trapped. The revolution brought back Islamic ideals and customs, which were welcomed initially but soon became overbearing and restrictive and eventually totalitarian.

“Women and Gender in Islam” by Leila Ahmed was published in 1992, at a time when research on Arab women was a young, newly emerging field of study. Leila Ahmed is an Egyptian American writer and feminist. Her text “Women and Gender in Islam” targets proclaimed feminists, both western and non-western, as the intended audience. The text is involved with the discourse of gender, the discourses of women, the discourses of feminist, and colonial and post-colonial discourses.

Marjane Satrapi sacrificed many things for education, and her parents made sure she had access to it, no matter what the cost. As a girl in Iran Satrapi faced many disadvantages even beyond a lack of education which was prevalent because of the many restrictions on their clothing, the hijab they were forced to wear, and that they were unable to wear makeup (Satrapi 3-341). These restrictions attempted to control women in every aspect by denying them certain rights and regulating their actions, and because the restrictions are not imposed on men as well, they lead to an inequality that is unfavorable for women. In order to overcome these restrictions, Satrapis’ parents sent her to school in Vienna where she could pursue an education without the restrictions imposed upon her in Iran (Satrapi 145-153). There Satrapi could learn without the distraction of the restrictions she faced in Iran. It also allowed her to freely study and receive the most beneficial education possible for her. Upon her return to Iran, and

Even the youngest women are resisting to wear the veil, and is a great example of how western influence is victimizing women that are oppressed and are categorized into a suppressive group by wearing the veil. Satrapi was stuck in two mind sets which were the liberal-minded world of her parents and her religiosity. Another crucial moment of the chapter is where she says, “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde” (6.1). Satrapi had an important role when this big change happened. She was an individual who had a strong character as a child. Her family sees being religious while not wearing a veil compatible, the government believes the opposite. Satrapi foreshadows how at the end of the story she leaves Iran but never escapes her homeland Iran.

"The Discourse of the Veil" Ahmed examines Amin’s recommendations regarding women and formed part of his thesis and how/why he believed that unveiling was key to the social transformation, which is important for unraveling the significance of the debate that his book provoked (Ahmed, 145). Ahmed discusses the origins and history as an idea of the veil which informs Western colonial discourse and 20th century-Arabic debate have several implications. The first implication is the evident connection between the issue of culture of women, as well as between the cultures of other men and the oppression of women, which was created by Western discourse. The idea that improving the status of women resulting in abandoning native customs was

A understanding of Marjane Satrapi came from the influence of pop culture in her everyday life. In Vienna she found a group that had the satisfaction of rock music as herself. The friends in Vienna introduced her to other things like drugs and sex. Drugs influenced her adult identity because she still uses cigarettes today. Iran’s belief on sex was that your suppose to wait till your married, but in western society it's not as strictly enforced. Satrapi adapted to it and got numerous of lovers. The western society changed the way she views things, she was abandoning her Iranian society. She dressed differently for western society compared to her homeland, once she got back home and had to start wearing the veil again she was more against it then before. She even tried to incorporate both societies together by wearing the veil and a punk is not ded jacket. Also relationships helped Satrapi to realized that she doesn't need a man to feel love. She went against Iranian culture and got a divorce, which made her stronger than ever.

Ultimately, Satrapi’s images of the indistinguishable characters accentuate the perception of a western reader to see the Veil as quite oppressive. In America, young teenagers live in a society where clothing and hair is meant to define and express themselves. It is normal for a 17 year old girl to curl her hair and go on a date with her boyfriend. However, in Iran, this is not the case, and as evident in Persepolis, woman are restricted to show her hair or publically show affection to any man who is not her husband. This restriction is something that not many people, especially in predominantly Christian societies are accustomed to. On page 74, Taji, Marjane's mother warns her daughter by explaining one of her experiences, "They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked. And then thrown in the garbage. ...And that if I didn't want that to happen, I should wear the veil...” Indeed, Marjane had always been deprived of her individuality, not only as a woman, but as a person. Being a woman in Iran meant Marjane was never able to fully express herself, not only by not

Have you ever wondered how people around the world live? If so, then at some point in time in your life you thought like a Cultural Anthropologist. But have you ever thought about how the way people in the Middle East live? Probably not right? Islam and Middle Eastern culture, might be the most misunderstood culture from around the world. It is especially difficult to understand by those in western societies. People who live in western societies tend to have this stigma towards people from the Middle East that they’re bad people and they’re all terrorist when in fact they’re not. They are a regular society, deeply rooted in tradition and culture. Westerners sometimes don’t understand that because it’s western ideology to be civilized and conform to what those with social power say what’s right. For many years, the people of the Middle East have been targeted by western imperialism to try and change who they are and what they believe in, but most countries put up a fight. The role of women in the Middle East has been especially difficult to understand by those outside of the culture. Contrary to what many people might believe, women play a major role in their society and are not as oppressed as many people may think. They contribute highly to education, the economy, and other social and cultural factors such as religion, family, and the social status of women in the Middle East.

Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others, many American political makers attempt to interfere with women in the Muslim culture, because they see them as things that need to be saved. American society focuses purely on their cultural and moral differences, instead of the marvelous beliefs and lives they lead. Abu-Lughod argues that instead, the American government needs to focus and learn to appreciate these differences among women around the world. She also states, “When you save someone, you imply that you are saving her from something” (Ab-Lughod, 2002, pg.788). Again, this is crushing the spirits of strong, independent women; implying they are objects that need to be protected. This is a great example of how the American government is trying to mitigate the rights and choices of

Abu Lugod argued that in order to move past this separation, we must: “First, we need to work against the reductive interpretation of veiling as the quintessential sign of women's unfreedom. Second, we must take care not to reduce the diverse situations and attitudes of millions of Muslim women to a single item of clothing.” (2002:786). As a result, creating a better understanding and better terminology of the “east” will allow feminists in these different social locations to communicate and to create a better strategy to move beyond the basic and into the complicated nature of feminism around the world.

To express rebellion against the regime, many would alter the way they wore the veil, as it was a key factor in the repression of woman in Iran. Satrapi admits, “The way people dressed became an ideological sign” (75) as woman showed their, “opposition to the regime by letting a few strands of hair show” (75). Since Satrapi’s family is very modern and progressive, they did not abide by the laws; they try to protest their rights through small acts of rebellion. However, when Satrapi is young she faces an internal conflict when the veil is first introduced as she states, “deep down I was very

Marjane Satrapi’s journey through different transitions phrases in life lead her to who she is. The Complete Persepolis focuses on women and the different roles that they play. Women in Iran are expected to portray themselves in a certain way. They are supposed to look, behavior and dress a certain way. Women do not stand up for issues and have minimal rights.

Marjane Satrapi lives in the middle of the Revolution Era in Iran. Living under this experience, she has undergone through the corruption of the Iranian government. The book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi highlights how the Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war affected citizens in a positive way as well as in a negative way. In the beginning of the book, Marjane explains how in the year of 1980 all women and only were forced to wear a veil.

Orientalism is a study of language and traditions of the people and their culture in the Middle East. These studies are mostly done by people outside of the culture that is being looked at, and mostly the studies are being performed by white western men. Edward Said believed that there was a problem with the way in which other people were studying and writing about his culture. He was upset and spoke up when he wrote a booked called “Orientalism,” in his book he points out many reasons why the study of orientalism is hurting the cultures in which they are studying. The study of other cultures and countries better known as the Orient has become a popular discussion since Said’s book on orientalism was published. This paper will take a look

This is a significant aspect of the course because the article examines the strengths and weaknesses of femininity through a cultural Muslim perspective and the reading is a prime example of how ideologies regarding race affect those involved. In class we have discussed the significances of social constructs and how assumptions are made on the basis of physical characteristics. In this situation, identity is related to gender as Muslim women are categorized as both good/respectful and rebellious/evil individuals because they are apart of a culture where they are both oppressed and liberated simultaneously.