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Feminism doesn’t consider Burkas to be sexist because they cover a woman head to toe. Feminists don’t think that Star Wars Storm Trooper armor is sexist. That covers head to toe. Same with Jousting armor or the sports mascot costumes. It is not the head to toe that is sexist. It is the lack of choice that is sexist. It is the denial of agency that is sexist.
Feminism has long held that women are people. There has never been any doubt that women are human. What is really meant is the much more complex idea of agency. Women have agency over their own lives. There are two important aspects of agency. The individual has the ability to make choices. Then these choices must have significance and meaning. Both of these must be met for an individual to be a person, to have agency.
Back to Burkas. Burkas are not sexist because of how much they cover. They are sexist because they deny agency. Women are forced to wear burkas. There agency is denied by lack of choice. This denies and belittles the person hood of the individual. It is wrong.
Feminism has fought and won many battles to create more options for women. It was a real fight in many place, and still is a fight in many places, to allow women choice. To allow women agency. To allow women person hood. Feminism is fighting and winning this fight to allow choice, to allow women to be people.
So if feminism is fighting for women’s choices. Feminism is fighting against the restriction of choices. Feminism is fighting against objectification, isn’t it?
The answer is NO. Feminism is not fighting against objectification. Feminism is fighting for a different form of objectification. Agency has two parts. Both must be true to have agency, to be a person. Feminism is fighting for the first part. That women should have choices. Feminism is fighting against the second part. Feminism is opposed to the idea that women’s choices have significance and meaning.
Feminism doesn’t want women to actually wear burkas. Feminism wants men to treat all women as if they where wearing burkas regardless of what they are actually wearing. Feminism wants women in burkas, but only in the minds of men, so that the choices women make are meaningless and pointless. Feminism wants choices for women, but not for these choices to have meaning.
Emily said:
I have no idea what you’re saying here. I agreed up until you said “The answer is NO”. If women desire to wear burkas, it’s not up to us to tell them it’s wrong, but it is wrong for a government to advocate harsh punishments under Sharia law to punish the act of not wearing burkas.
Like most gender equality issues in the Middle East, it’s difficult for Western nations to step in and declare that their culture is wrong, therefore all we can do here (I hail from Canada) is to de-stigmatize the burka and make wearing one a personal choice that does not stem from fear and oppression (such as some women who believe it to be a beautiful thing, to have only the eyes showing). I think you’re demonizing feminism here without touching on the meat of the real subject, which is an issue of equality of choice.
genderneutrallanguage said:
There are two aspects of any REAL choice. There is a choice to be made, and that choice has meaning. If you are denying a person choice, you are objectifying that person. (Like mandated burka) If you are denying that choice has meaning, you are objectifying that person. Feminists argue that women’s choices have no meaning, this is objectification of the same order as forcing women to wear burkas.