For this blog post, explore the website Oppressed Brown Girl Doing Things. Look at the images, read the posts and comments, watch the videos and think about the prevailing images that are produced by the media (and your own brain) about women who live in these parts of the world. Then, once you think you have fully explored the site, answer the following questions: 1) What do you think of the site's name and what does is it trying to convey? 2) What prevailing stereotypes about women of color, veiled women specifically is the site trying to counter? 3) Do you think the site is successful in providing a counter-narrative to these stereotypes?
Your comment must be at least two paragraphs long and must be posted on Tuesday, April 15th by 5:00 pm to receive credit.
The site’s name accomplishes the task of satirizing the idea that “brown girls are oppressed”. The name tries to convey the falseness of the idea that those from the west are unable/ incapable of doing certain things because of the way the media has portrayed them. The bluntness of the name is successful because it points out the ridiculousness is in the idea that women of the west are unable to accomplish/ or participate less in society. One stereotype that the site fights is the idea that women are unable to have fewer professions or be less powerful. Another stigma it battles is that they are not athletic, which could be broadened to not being seen as skilled or allowed to do activities that society has deemed more masculine.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways the site was successful with one viewer, me. However, I did look many pages further into the blog and sometimes the message seemed to be getting clouded by some of the messages other posts portrayed. Although meant to be tongue in cheek, as usual, I can see where someone who is more prudish would be very quickly turned away by tones of the other posts. Overall, the blog is successful in combating the stigma that oppression, especially from the west, has stopped colored women from flourishing, succeeding and being strong.
Although it may be intentional, it seems the blog is directed only towards combating the oppression by westerners rather than by their own countries institutions, and this may be a shortcoming. It could be that they do not feel their institution oppresses them. From an outsider perspective is seems unlikely that there is no oppression occurring within their own nation, but an outsider perspective is most definitely not always correct. However, as we read in Persepolis, Satrapi was not happy when she had to start wearing the headscarf and felt that many other women wanted to push away from the strict rules society forced upon them. The blog does successfully offer a positive perspective in highlighting that many women in the west are highly educated (even more so than men at times) and play large roles in the government in some countries. Also, many women have been and will continue to be rebellious and fight for more women’s rights. And this proves the point that colored women may not be as oppressed as the west paints them to be.
-Nicole Czerner
The site’s name, Oppressed Brown Girls Doing Things, seeks to satirize the prevailing image of oppressed women. Oppression, a burden or cruel or unjust imposition, is often associated with images of women who are stagnant and restricted from living life freely. These images are perpetuated by stereotypes, western interpretation of Middle Eastern culture, and of course the media. However, the simplicity of the site’s title conveys that by “doing things” women of color are openly defying the narrative society has paved for them. In fact, the site seeks to argue that women of color are not oppressed at all. While the rest of society is concerned about the limitation of these women’s experiences, the author shows an array of posts that demonstrate the diversity of these women’s experiences and the presence of their voice in society.
ReplyDeleteIn order to observe the stereotypes about women of color and veiled women that the site tries to counter, one must simply google “oppressed women”. The images that arise are dominated by the presence of the veil and other women of color which to an extent, accurately depict the public image of the oppressed woman. Due to the media and the perpetuation of these images, we imagine that oppressed women submit to their oppressors. The author of the site however argues that there is no oppressor and satirizes those who believe otherwise with her plea “Come save us while we’re being oppressed, doing things”.
The site, to an extent is successful in providing a counter narrative to these stereotypes. Through various images of empowerment and resistance, the author shows that people of color and people of the veil lead very normal lives, partaking in daily activities that we would never associate them with. However, her tumblr is biased and is blinded by her goal to empower the colored/ veiled woman. Her sarcastic introduction, “Because we’re still oppressed” implies that all women of color have surmounted their suppressors and are able to carry out their daily lives “doing things”. The reality is that in many cultures, women are still oppressed, living very strict lives. Showing only images of women “doing things” to argue defiance shows the same ignorance as the media who only portray oppressed women doing nothing. The site nonetheless promotes awareness of another side of the argument, and has potential to bring the topic of oppression among women to the forefront.
The site's name combats a pervasive western image of women of color: that they are helpless to choose their own destinies. In western europe and the USA, colonialist mindsets have led white people to declare that women of color in Africa, Latin/Central America and the middle east do not have agency. As we discussed in class, colonialism has ingrained a western idea that other cultures lack civilization, and without civilization, they MUST oppress their women. The blog falsifies this image, as we see women "doing things": going to school, lifting weights, exploring the stars. They depict themselves with their autonomous decisions in plain sight; they choose how they cover themselves and what they do with their lives. Notably, they perform "masculine" activities, such as serving in the army or flying planes.
ReplyDeleteThe blog functions as a counter-narrative, and it is subtly effective. Instead of outrightly denouncing an incorrect assumption, the blog's author establishes a constructive correct picture (literally a set of pictures) that portray women of color as just as sovereign as white women.
The site's name, Oppressed Brown Girls from Tumbler, satirizes the idea that all women of color are oppressed and confined to their house. It offers the idea that the blog will be about women and girls oppressed in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. But, through satire, this title actually projects this blog to be about women and girls of color that have accomplished great things in life; they have become astronauts, models, soccer players, college students, singers, pilots, soldiers, and much more. The images and ideas depicted towards us in the media show that women of color in foreign countries are completely restricted to outside activities and are confined to the home as well as the control of their father until they get married and then their husband after marriage. The images on this site show that women in the middle east actually do play sports, go to school and get an education, aren't restricted to covering their entire body except for their eyes, work, and have high up professions. This site is basically trying to counter these stereotypes of women, specifically veiled women: middle eastern women and girls are only raped by people of their kind, are confined to their home, have no education, aren't allowed to hold a job, can't be seen outside their house w/o proper attire (being covered from head to toe with only their eyes showing, and much more. This site is somewhat successful in providing a counter narrative because it provides all counterexamples to common stereotypes of middle eastern women, but there should be more interviews and stories added to make it a stronger argument.
ReplyDeleteI was always taught that women in the middle east were controlled by their husbands, raped all the time, treated inhumanely, couldn't achieve their dreams, and had to do everything they were told to do by men. Through this website, I have concluded that there are women, especially in the middle east, who have achieved great things with their lives and found multiple counterexamples to the common misconception I was taught. Most of my friends were always taught that middle eastern women weren't allowed out in public and had no say in their lives. This blog allows me to thankfully find a great truth that contradicts these ideas. In addition, the stories I have heard of American men raping middle eastern women are few and far between. Here, the blog highlights this idea of abuse towards middle eastern women by all kinds of men, not just their own. I feel like this blog is aimed towards the Western World as it only captures misconceptions that us, in the west, perceive of them. But, it could just be that only the Western World gets fed these misconceptions of middle eastern women.
Personally, the site’s name, Oppressed Brown Girls doing things, suggest a mere satirical tone. The authors’ word choice of her blog title and the description convey aggression and sarcasm. For example, “doing things” suggests conventional and unpretentious tasks that seem unimportant. For this blog, however, it expresses the complete opposite. The author of the Tumblr posts pictures, texts, and videos that prevail stereotypes about the colored and veiled women of being too “oppressed”, “pampered”, and with little to no power. She does so by posting colored and veiled women as being strong, educated, powerful, independent, and unique. Throughout the blog, she challenges the opinions of outsiders who are not part of that society but have come to their own conclusions about women who are colored and veiled based on the media and words.
ReplyDeleteAt times she is successful at showing counterexample images of these women, but I feel as a whole it’s domineering because of her opinion of only the Western world underrepresenting the colored and veiled women in the media. I applaud the author for wanting to show “the other side of the picture” of colored and veiled women, because I’m sure that those who fall into that category are much more than what the media portrays them to be- just like every other race, gender, country that the media covers. At times she seems overly vulgar, as she states, “The West will ‘liberate’ us with its perfect understanding of our culture, religion, politics and society because the West is perfect.. Come save us while we're being oppressed, doing things.” She is condemning the way the media is depicting women of colored and veiled, while at the same time she is making the same conjecture of the Western world being represented by the media. There will always be another side of a story of what the media depicts.
Jessica Ruth Iniguez
Oppressed Brown Girls challenges the misconceptions that the "west" in particular has held about women of color. I like that the name is inclusive and represents all women of color. Solidarity is one of the prevailing themes of her blog and that's evident in the posts, which deal with Indian, Asian, African American, Latina, and Middle Eastern women. It demonstrates how women of color, no matter where they are from, face prejudice and discrimination. Her blog posts succeed in humanizing the "other;" it's no longer you and I but us. She depicts women playing sports and lifting weights, which go against the assumptions that people often make. Women of color are often thought of as having no agency in their lives and her posts provide a counter-narrative.
ReplyDeleteShe provides a new way to view Muslim women and her post shows that Muslim women cannot be condensed down into the image of the oppressed woman. It implies that some women freely choose the veil and it is not something that is always forced upon them. I don't think the intent of her blog is to argue that women of color have overcome every obstacle and suppressor and she is aware of all the problems that women of color continue to face. I think she's successful in challenging the binary; it's not free/oppressed. She provides a nuanced view of women of color.
Navneet Virk
The sites title attempts to satirize the misconception that Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian women are oppressed. It tries to dissuade the notion that women of color (particularly brown women) are constantly undermined and prevented from achieving success. I believe it also shows that women are nonetheless left to a disadvantage by using the subtitle “Because we’re still oppressed”.
ReplyDeleteWe see the stereotypes of veiled women are hard to come into power, play sports, to become artists or fashion designers because many people believe that it is some type of activity that they are prevented from doing. These types of stereotypes and prejudices are widely used in media outlets and further the conventional image that many Westerners have about Islam and Middle Eastern women.
I think that this site does a good job of promoting awareness of successful women in different fields as a counter-narrative to the ideas that many veiled women lead restrictive lives. However, similar to Persepolis, this blog is biased towards what the author wants to depict and is shown by the comments of other people that argue against some of the posts.
Sophia Sandhu
I felt that the Oppressed Brown Girls Doing Things was a very interesting website. From the content to the description of the site, it is obvious that the creator or owner of the site is trying to show that women from the East are not what the West portray them to be. In addition, I also I felt that the site’s name was very cleaver. It definitely fits into context with the posts on the website. At the same time, I feel that the name is trying to show how women of color, specifically those from the East, are judged and labeled.
ReplyDeleteSome of the stereotypes that this site tries to counter is that veiled women are uneducated, stay at home mothers, oppressed. However, I feel that this website provides a good counter-narrative to these stereotypes. By showing pictures of women from the East playing sports, modeling, singing, spray painting, and educating themselves, viewers start to connect that these are the things we do in our everyday lives. The video definitely helps portray women of the East in a different light. The photographer’s project idea of capturing the women in their private space is very refreshing, but at the same time very innovative. By showing the viewers that these women are educated and active, it gives a hint to the fact that these women are not oppressed. They are not emotionless, as the veil lead me to think, but they laugh, smile, and are very beautiful. In truth, the main point the owner/creator/designer of the website is trying to get across is that even if they are women of color, they are no different from the women of the West, and overall, is pretty successful.
Sydney Lee
The site’s name provides a satirical twist on the caricature that all women who identify as being “brown” are also “oppressed” based on a stereotype given predominantly by the West. However, through the use of photographs, literature, facts, and many other techniques, the blog successfully protests against this idea that women, especially women of historically discriminated groups, do not have a voice to resist injustice. Western stereotypes depict women of color as an often oppressed population, maltreated or forgotten by their governments and communities. However, many of the posts on the blog, and in particular a poem by Noor Shirazie illustrate that this issue is not as transparent as these stereotypes depict. As Shirazie portrays in the poem, those who accuse different cultures of oppression fall victim to their own erroneous understandings of each other. History is primarily written by the victors meanwhile nations and cultures worldwide are painted by the brushes held by those in the most power, which is not necessarily an accurate depiction. This poem, and the entire website, serves to the highlight events of daily life and reminders that women labeled as “oppressed” still successfully and frequently assert agency.
ReplyDeleteBy providing the perspectives of the “oppressed,” the site helps underscore the fact that misogyny and discrimination based on gender and ethnicity still exist on the global level and is not focally prevalent in non-white regions. The veil is often portrayed as a symbol of the oppression of Muslim women, as a sign of forced subservience. However, various examples in the blog showcase strong independent women thriving in daily life who choose to wear the veil. Western stereotypes have oppressed the veil as a sign of oppression, yet these women have also in some respect made the veil into a sign of resistance and pride for their religion, faith, and culture. I think this site is highly successful in providing a counter-narrative to stereotypes of oppression, especially because it is all encompassing of women from all regions including but not limited to Asia, the Middle East, North America, South America, etc. The portraits of women from around the globe “doing things” and asserting their agency characterizes the beauty of diversity.
Zhiqiao Dong
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