I agree, but at the same time, I have a different perspective, too. I'm a white Western girl, hardcore feminist, born and bred, but sometimes when I'm out in public and I want people to leave me alone, I cover part of my face.
By which, I mean that I wear sunglasses. I do it a lot when I'm riding the bus, or when I'm first in line at a stoplight and there's a guy panhandling with a sign at the corner. It's a signal that says "Don't make eye contact, I don't want to talk to you;" it's a way of maintaining privacy while I'm in public. I've spoken to women in hijab who view it the same way, not as a covering for something shameful or tempting, but as a way to make a boundary between them and the public, a way to maintain independence.
Now, clearly that's coming from a deeply misogynist culture; if our culture didn't have the sense that a Woman in Public is Available for Public Discourse, I wouldn't have to wear the sunglasses on the bus, either. It's a sad thing that a woman would have to resort to the abaya or to hijab to communicate that, but I think it can be a statement of personal power in a repressive society.
Everything's context-dependent, too. I tuck in my shirt because I don't want people looking at my belly. I don't mind if people see my nipples when I'm feeding Lillian, even complete strangers, but I'd be mortified if someone saw them at the opera. Etc.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-06-06 06:08 pm (UTC)By which, I mean that I wear sunglasses. I do it a lot when I'm riding the bus, or when I'm first in line at a stoplight and there's a guy panhandling with a sign at the corner. It's a signal that says "Don't make eye contact, I don't want to talk to you;" it's a way of maintaining privacy while I'm in public. I've spoken to women in hijab who view it the same way, not as a covering for something shameful or tempting, but as a way to make a boundary between them and the public, a way to maintain independence.
Now, clearly that's coming from a deeply misogynist culture; if our culture didn't have the sense that a Woman in Public is Available for Public Discourse, I wouldn't have to wear the sunglasses on the bus, either. It's a sad thing that a woman would have to resort to the abaya or to hijab to communicate that, but I think it can be a statement of personal power in a repressive society.
Everything's context-dependent, too. I tuck in my shirt because I don't want people looking at my belly. I don't mind if people see my nipples when I'm feeding Lillian, even complete strangers, but I'd be mortified if someone saw them at the opera. Etc.