The veil and its representation.

A few weeks ago we were talking about the veil along with muslim women in america and all that other stuff. we came up with a few things that the veil represented and we came up with lots of options that both gave women power but also turned them into sexual objects on occasion. i feel that the veil can work in both a positive and negative way, in one way giving women some form of freedom to express themselves and also hide from things behind the veil. the thing is that women can hide from that for only so long, they then start to stand out if other women become westernized or if they are all the same then they are like a pack of unsuspecting sheep with all the men as hungry wolves. one of the main reasons that they wear them is described in "chappals and gym shorts where she says wearing the hijab "simmbolized a way to adhere to religious and cultrual traditions in order to prevent complete western immersion." this makes sense in that the way that we in america dress is particularly outlandish when you look at the rest of the world. people in the middle east would never go out in a bikini or a speedo because it completely goes against tradition and is considered dirty and showing too much. i don't know if i agree with the part about it being unholy, at least in my eyes, i think that the bikini and other clothes similar to this are a good way to express yourself and can create a feeling of independence. i don't really know about this first hand, because i have never worn a bikini, but the ability to express yourself through your own style is the best way of all. the veil can also symbolize submissiveness in women which is how they are expected to act in some cultures. the american media uses this tactic to appeal to our subconscious. in most ads with women in them, they usually have something covering their mouth, either their hair, or their hand, or something which shows their inability to talk, therefore their place in society. this is what the veil does, it prevents women from speaking their mind or speaking in general, which makes them seem weak, therefore men don't respect them. if they didn't wear the veil that covered their face they would be respected more and be listened to much more. women, especially in this context need to be able to show that they are capable of being more than just a good housewife or some garbage like that, they need to show men in this religion and culture that they are just as proficient as men and are able to take care of themselves without needing the support of a man. In chappals and gyms shorts she talks about how her dad laughs at her when he remembers that she isn't good at cooking or cleaning, both necessities for a wife in this culture. this is disgusting, who makes these gender assignments that men do X and women do Y? there are always seperate jobs, even today. men get laughed at for being nurses or such, why? whoever made jobs male for female makes no sense. what if intersexuals were allowed to continue living their lives as inters and then they start being doctors? would others shy away from the job because it's strictly intersexual? makes no sense.