Arab females are often subjected to a variety of preconceptions. From the’silly couched women’ that is portrayed as an oppressed survivor in need of a christ, to the notion that women who wear veils are unable to consider for themselves or do not have any motivation. These preconceptions are dangerous in their portrayal of a culture, but also in the means that they deny the trailblazing work of women part models across the place. Whether it is the first female mayor of a city in Iraq or the many Muslim female lawmakers, these women https://www.rd.com/list/female-firsts/ are a clear problem to the narrative that has been created that says Arab women are impotent and may consider charge of their own lives.
Studies conducted by George Gerbner, parents of Cultivation Theory, shows that unfavorable stereotypes are cultivated through repeated advertising representations. This is particularly true when it comes to the Arab media. During the coronavirus pandemic https://asiansbrides.com/iranian-brides in 2019 for example, a large percentage of jokes circulated on social media sites reflected negatively about arab women. The’silly veiled female ‘ image was the most prominent one. Other negative images included women being illiterate, limited in intellectual capability, immoral, materialistic or opportunistic.
Dr Balaa highlights the importance of countering these stereotypes with positive portrayals of Arab women and how these are achieved in literature. She uses the example of Firdaus in Saadawi’s novel The Book of life where she is able to rebel against her rapist and show ‘ a different type of femininity.’ This is important as it illustrates that women can face multiple forms of oppression at the same time that are not solely related to their religion or their ethnicity as Arabs.
