Women and Intrigue

"I believe a woman should be full of excitement and intrigue like a film. In other words, she should conceal her nature and make men rely on their imagination in order to dicover her."

-Alfred Hitchcock

Poem- Resistance

Women from all cultures feel the pressure to be a "modest" bride on their wedding day. Here is a poem written by Kathryn Church about a bride in the West choosing what to wear on her wedding day and the ultimate representation of her dress:

Resistance

Imagine a bride
who has seen some
Hard Times:
too many cigarettes
too much booze
too many men who don't give
a damn.

The one she is with now isn't much good.
"Why should I marry you?"
she asks.
"Because no one else will have you,"
he replies.
She's so far down that
she believes him.

The wedding dress that she creates is
Vivid
with imagination.

White is for virgins and I am not"
she declares.
And so the garmet is ivory
its lines playful to the point of
Sexy.

It is a clever move using the
Strength and Comfort
of her sexuality to counter the
Weight
of her depression and self-loathing.

This dress is not a dress.
It is a mask.

-Kathryn Church

Opinion on the Veil

"Why have young girls started to cover themselves in this new type of veil and dress like old women? I think that is just a trent, a fashion like any other.... Fifty years ago, girls were most interested in the fabrics, colours and designs which would attract a possible husband's interest... we only thout about clothes in this sense. It wasn't that hijab and modesty were unimportant, it was just that girls were not so serious about it... I do not think this new veiling is a religious duty. A woman's modest conduct is more important than what she wears... Although I have this opinion about the new veil being a trend which is not an essential part of Islam, I am not against what it stands for if it means that society is becoming more concerned with morality and turning against some of the modern ways and Western values which started to take hold...It is important for the Arab people to rediscover their own traditions and take pride in themselves... We have become used to seeing Western women almost naked in our streets and if, because of this, our women want to cover themselves in the new veil, then it is a welcome protest against indecency and our overwhelming past interest in all things foreign. The women who adopt the new veil do so for a number of reasons, but it should not be a matter of law, but one of personal choice."

-Fatima, a vegetable seller in Cairo, in her late seventies.

Extracts from Helen Watson, 'Women and the Veil: Personal Responses to Global Process', in Akbar S. Ahmed and Hastings Donnan (eds), Islam, Globalization and Postmodernity, London and New York; Routledge, 1994.

Western Perspective on the Veil

"And how pretty they look, these women draped like phantoms in their black silks. Their long veils do not completely hide them...They are simply placed over their hair and leave uncovered the delicat features, the gold necklet and the half-bared arms that carry on their wrists thick twisted bravelets of virgin gold. Pure Egyptians as they are, they have preserved the same delicate profile, the same elongated eyes, as mark the old goddesses carved in bas-relief on the Pharaonic walls. But some, alas, amongst the young ones have discarded their traditional costume, and are arryed a la franque, in gowns and hats. And such gowns, such hats, such flowers! The very peasants of our meanest villages would disdain them. Oh! Why cannot someone tell these poor little women, who have it in their power to be so adorable, that the beautiful folds of their black veils give to them an exquisite and characteristic distinction, while this poor tinsel, which recalls the mid-Lent carnivals, makes of them objects that excite our pity."

-Pierre Lot, Egypt, p.111

Protecting Sexuality in Design

"a cauldron of sexuality behind apparently innocent surfaces"

(The Architecture of Fashion p.198)

Personally, when I read this quote, I automatically thought of the designs of many courtyards in the United Arab Emirates. The exterior facades or "innocent surfaces" hide and protect the beautifully decorated interior designs.
















The arabesque designs and flowing tile work can be associated with the "cauldron of sexuality" that the quote suggests.

Similarly to architecture, the concept of the hijab can also be related to this quote. A "innocent surface" of basic cloth behind the "cauldron of sexuality" which, to me, is a beautiful description of women. Describing sexuality as powerful and beautiful thing that is protected by an "innocent surface".

I also want to note that I took this quote from the book, The Architecture of Fashion, and this book does not talk about fashion and architecture of the Middle East. It focuses more on design in the West. This is important to note because I want to emphasis the fact that our concepts of sexuality, and protecting it is not unique to any part of the world. It is a shared view, different cultures have evolved to express this in different ways.

Dressing for your Surroundings

"woe to the lady who would enter such a room in a dress that was not artistically suitable."


-Karl Ernst Osthaus

As Karl Ernst Osthaus implies, it is important to consider the venue when choosing what to wear to an event. You must be dressed appropriately for your surroundings.

This brings up the issue of women who usually wear a niqab/abaya/hijab in their own country but when they leave on vacation they remove their modest clothing in order to fit in more in their, usually Western destination.

Wearing the hijab or niqab in the Western world does draw attention to them and attract stares by men and women so, to some extend, the intention of being modest is compromised. Some women prefer to not be starred at like an alien and feel that it defeats the purpose of wearing the hijab.

How do you feel about being starred at when traveling to non-Islamic countries? Do you feel your privacy is compromised?