unveilingneworientalismanexplorationinimages.docVIP

Unveiling New Orientalism: An Exploration in Images By Emma Hoglund Methods Dr. Vigilant 3 May 2009 Introduction The image of the Oriental veiled woman has always sparked the imagination of the Western colonizer. Initially, Oriental women were veiled in sensuous mystery. For Western men, the veil symbolized the erotic mysteries of the east and Middle Eastern women posed a sexual conundrum, both erotic and hidden, an irresistible combination in the West. The harem, for example, was both enticing for Western men who had a desire to catch a glimpse of Eastern women unveiled, but also inaccessible, impenetrable for their Western eyes. Presently, however, veiled women are perceived quite differently. The veil has come to represent all that is wrong with the Muslim world – suppression, abuse, and terror. The image above epitomizes the modern conception of veiling: a nameless, faceless woman turned away from the camera. In addition to being internationally controversial, the practice of veiling is highly varied, from a token headscarf to the full burqa. In the West, however, particularly in “art” images, veiled women are ubiquitously depicted in full burqas and often from behind. What is the purpose of depicting Muslim women in such a monochromatic fashion, and what messages and perceptions do these images of veiled Muslim women in printed media perpetuate in the Western consciousness? It is essential to note that it is not my intention to pass any sort of judgment on the practice of veiling. I am primarily interested in exploring what we in the West can learn about ourselves in the way we chose to depict the veiled Muslim woman. The Muslim world is as varied and intricate as our own here in the West. Similarly, the experiences of women are equally assorted. For example, Lebanon is the first country in the world that has granted women loans in order to pay for plastic surgery, and women in some northern African countries hold importan