My body is my temple and mine alone

Refurbish the interior

or reconstruct the whole,

as long as it’s still mine

my home,

my own.

Quinn Hanschen

He always reminded her of a horse,

a young horse,

knees still knobbly,

hiding his eyes behind a flop of mane.

She thought he hid his eyes because

they gave away too much.

She could see the hope and hurt

in them when he turned to her

So uncertain, he wanted to follow someone

and it couldn’t be his mother

who he’d mimicked for so long,

it couldn’t be his father

distant, too busy with his work

he trailed behind the bigger boys,

but they only laughed.

And even she kicked him away,

like an angry boss mare

left him to wander the fringe

looking for a way in.

Alice Simmons

Miss Representation is the most provocative and inspiring movie I’ve ever seen. This documentary film directed, written, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newson, explores how media misrepresents and degrades women.

Short clips from movies and from advertisements are spliced into interviews and slides of fascinating statistics, creating a riveting film. The movie features both male and female scholars; interviews of famous women such as Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Rachel Maddow and Gloria Steinem; alongside the heart-wrenching stories of high school students today. I already knew that the media was sexist, but I never peeled back the layers to see how atrocious it truly is and the impact it has on American society.

This documentary made me think about how few powerful women you actually see in the media. In movies, advertisements, and music, women are constantly seen as nothing more than shallow, sexualized objects. The very few female protagonists in television and in films are usually not even strong characters. Their stories revolve around men in what marketers describe as “chick flicks,” and even in action movies, the scantily-clad female superheroes are also obviously targeted to the male audience. In the news, when Katie Couric was the first woman to be a solo anchor for one of the three traditional American broadcast networks, instead of listening to what she had to say, the media scrutinized how she looked and the length of her skirt. Miss Representation shows how this objectification of women not only undermines them, but also leads to the underrepresentation of females in positions of power and influence. It teaches young girls that they should be valued on merely their appearance, discouraging them from pursuing their dreams.

Watching Miss Representation motivated me to change how society treats women and girls. Kids of all ages have the potential to change America and to achieve gender equality by challenging the media and not valuing women just for their appearance. Condoleezza Rice said that we make a mistake when we say that we need a role model to make a difference. Rice exclaimed, “If Sally Ride, the first female astronaut, had been waiting for a female astronaut role model, she would have never done it!”

I have to say, although the points made by the scholars and famous women in the movie were thought-provoking, the stories of the regular high school students were what touched me the most. One girl spoke of how insecure she had always been about her weight, because she had grown to believe that she had to be skinny to be beautiful; and another girl said she would change her appearance just in order to fit in. A high school student spoke of her younger sister who was driven to self-harm because she was teased at school for not having “the perfect body.” These real-life stories showed just how much the media is impacting girls in terrible ways and undermining their self-confidence.

I believe that all teenagers should watch this movie, both boys and girls. It was encouraging to see the women in the film mentoring and reaching out to one another because the only way women will be able to achieve parity with men is by working together. However, I also believe it is important for boys to watch this movie so that they realize sexism is not just a “woman’s issue.” The documentary touched on how men are expected to be smarter, stronger, and superior to women. If men are taught from a young age to have a so-called “tough” and misogynistic attitude and behavior through media’s stereotypes, then this sexism will never go away. Although the media has a terrible impact on society, we as the younger generation have the power to make a difference.

This documentary does have graphic images, so I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under the the age of 13. I also noted that one or two shocking statistics (such as American teenagers averaging 10 hours and 45 minutes of media consumption per day) seemed borderline unrealistic, so I would be interested to know their sources. Despite the lack of references, it was a wonderfully made, gripping documentary that is definitely worth watching. Not only did the film hold my attention, but it taught me a new way to see media. The featured scholars had interesting points that I had never thought of before, while the stories of high school students today touched my heart. It was also encouraging to see celebrities standing up for feminism and speaking their mind, especially because it was against the media that had made them famous. Miss Representation inspired me to reach out to other girls and to take a stand against social media, and I believe it can inspire you as well.

Gemma Laurence

Interfaith Connections is a column for teens to dialogue about how their faith or wisdom tradition influences their view of life’s big questions. In each issue, three teens from different backgrounds respond to a question posed by the Editorial Board, based on the theme. This quarter the Ed Board asks:

What does your faith or wisdom tradition teach you about gender roles, particularly the positive aspects?

Kacey Sorenson responds.

I am a Mormon female. My dad was my local church’s Bishop for five years. As a result, I was the “Bishop’s daughter” — categorized and occasionally referred to as such — for six years.

It bothered me sometimes because I knew I was more than just my father’s daughter, but still I was proud of his leadership position and my family’s position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My mom raised me to love being a girl in the twenty-first century, and I am proud to have had the same opportunities as boys my own age in sports, music, and extracurricular activities. My mother is a little bit of a feminist, priding herself in her independence and education, having graduated from a respected four-year university. While she agrees with me that being a parent is the most important role one can play, she still reminisces: “I was seven when Title IX was passed. I played on an all-boys soccer team at school and was the only girl at the local sports camp that year.” Title IX was passed in 1972, and is the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational institutions. While I am sometimes irritated at her pride, I also absorbed her love of and confidence in being a young woman. Once, curious to learn more about what she always mentioned, I researched Title IX, gave a six-page report, conducted a one-hour interview with Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, and compiled a Powerpoint presentation discussing the impact such a movement had on the modern woman. In other words, my mother’s modern views on women have impacted many of mine.

In the Mormon religion, men are placed in roles that receive greater attention than the roles of women. Women are taught their highest calling in life is to raise a family in God’s church with morals and principles worthy of God’s children. Young men are strongly encouraged to embark on a mission, a two-year venture where they are called to teach God’s word. Young women are also given the opportunity to serve full-time missions, but the expectation to serve is not as intense.

Traditionally, young men could embark on a mission at 19, while women were not allowed to leave until they were 21. There were different (and somewhat archaic) reasons for such age restrictions: young men needed to grow up on the mission, young women needed to grow up before. Honestly, I never really understood the difference in age limitations. In October of last year, Thomas S. Monson, the president of the Mormon church, announced a decision to lower the age of male missionaries from 19 to 18 years old. In the same speech, Monson revealed the young women’s age to serve a mission had also been lowered from 21 to 19. In a press conference two weeks later, church spokesman Michael Purdy said that within the first two weeks of Monson’s unexpected declaration, the church began receiving nearly five times as many applications from youth to serve as missionaries for the church — from 700 applications a week to over 4,000 — noting that “slightly more than half of the applicants are women.” Although there is still a year’s gap between the ages of our missionaries, it is clear women are experiencing a more equal opportunity to proselytize for the church at a younger age.

From the time we can first sing, Mormon kids are taught the Articles of Faith by rote. These articles are 13 statements similar to the Ten Commandments, and are basic teachings and ordinances of the Mormon faith. While often repeated mindlessly, the words of the last Article remind me of who I am: “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men… If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, we seek after these things.” These principles are taught in the church universally. They encourage trust and equality between God’s children, and show what is important to the church. I have been taught to love myself and to love others. I have learned to be an example to those who surround me, including, and especially, young men my age. As most teenagers do, guys my age observe the behaviors of their friends and peers, and want to fit in. They find strength in numbers, and by being an example, we can be strong together.

Now, there are always arguments about religion, and they can sometimes be very heated. I thought my mom, being intelligent, confident, stubborn, and a feminist, might have some opposition to a woman’s role in the Mormon church. I approached cautiously and a little nervously, but I was surprised to hear her answer to my question: “I’ve never had a problem with my role as a Mormon female. I’m a mom, and that is the most critical job on earth. Mormon men may administer the church, but women have the bigger and better job.” After she spoke, I realized I agree. My view may differ slightly from some of my unreligious peers, but I know my role as an eventual wife and mother will be fulfilling. I still strive for achievement through higher education, but I also feel the most valuable thing I can do is to be a mother. Of course not all women can have or want children: my aunt never married (and therefore never had children), and one of the women I admire the most recently found out she can’t have children. These women receive the same support and love from the church as those with children.

Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of the church until his death in 2008, summarized this view when he said: “The men hold the priesthood, yes. But my wife is my companion. In this church the man neither walks ahead of his wife nor behind his wife but at her side. They are co-equals in this life in a great enterprise.” Although the men and the women are treated differently within the church, they are still viewed as equal — to others and to each other. That feminist blood my mother and I are so proud of remains an integral part of who we are, but the strength of the woman is only magnified by the strength of the mother, a role I hope to take on when I am older.

Kacey Sorenson

Females have long been regarded as the lesser gender in Chinese culture. In a classic Chinese work, Pan Chao writes, “Let a woman modestly yield to others… let her bear disgrace; let her endure when others speak or do evil to her.” Yet as China continues to modernize, and the influences of the Internet, Western culture, and the unplanned shortage of women due to the one-child policy begin to have their effects, the traditional roles of females may be beginning to change.

It is very possible that the idea of equality for all is finding an audience with the Asian populace, and, on a personal level, altering the way I am treated as a young woman. I discovered this during a dinner conversation while visiting family in Hong Kong.

As is usual in my big Chinese family, we were seated at a large, circular table crammed with steaming dishes of rice, noodles, tofu, and mysterious meats. Gradually, the clatter of plastic chopsticks died down and the usual exchange of “do je sai,” meaning “thank you,” in Cantonese, faded away, and we began to converse.

“These days it is so common to send our kids off to the United States to study,” my uncle, seated at the head of the table, explained, “and they return home heavily influenced by American ideals. I’ve been working internationally for a long time, so my views on gender equality differ from that of my parents. I think as that becomes more commonplace, the way traditional Chinese parents raise their kids and view their daughters will adapt.”

My male cousin chimed in, “And really, when you think about it, all this bias is pretty outdated. China’s government obviously has to deal with the male-to-female ratio, but it already seems like in the big cities of China, those ‘traditional roles have largely faded. Women have more and more of the same opportunities as men.” They turned to me, “What job are you considering, Caie?”

As a junior in high school without concrete career plans, this question always induces panic, but as I paused and tried to prevent myself from incoherently mumbling, I thought about how his question underscored the changing gender roles for Chinese girls. Having grown up in California with American values, I don’t often think about these traditional restrictions.

My mother, however, was the first female in her family to obtain a college degree. Before she left home for an American education, none of her sisters had even completed high school. While her little brother remained in school, her four older sisters took jobs at the local factory when they turned 13. In contrast, my sister and I plan on attending college, and never even considered dropping out of school to support our family. “You would never have heard about high-achieving females when I was growing up,” my mother explains. “I was a very lucky exception, because my sisters realized the value of school, and they worked very hard so I could keep with it. Fortunately, these standards are changing fast in China, and girls are reaping the benefits.”

Until relatively recently, a woman’s role was always in the home. My great grandmother had bound feet, so she was physically limited in her ability to move around or work in the fields. Instead, she was expected to cook and clean, maneuvering only the small area of her living quarters. In that light, the fact that today I am expected to achieve just as much as my male cousins is incredible. I did not have an answer to my uncle’s question, but I found myself smiling. I may not know who I will be, but I know what I can be, and that I am no longer limited by tradition.

Our world is truly progressing, and a new perspective is taking over not only the countries of Asia but also the rest of the globe. For me, the change is reflected in conversations with my male family members where I am treated as an equal, and I am all too happy to be part of this new wave.

Caie Kelley

“Towel-Head. Tablecloth. Batman. Ninja. Oppressed. Raghead. Terrorist. Do you have Cancer? Do you have hair? Do you shower with it on? Oh, you can think? Don’t you feel hot in the summer? Do you wear it to sleep? Did your dad force you to wear it? Well, okay, fine… did your mom?” mimicked the Muslim girls, who sat in chairs in a loose version of a circle, their faces red, drained with anger and shock.                                                                                       

People tend to judge those wearing a cloth covering their head, without a second thought of whether those comments or questions are considerate.

It’s a natural instinct to be curious, but comments on the hijab are often born of ignorance. After September 11th, 2001, there was a pronounced stereotyping of the headscarf. American citizens, specifically, let their guard go up and became more closed off to strangers. This only pushed Muslims to further seek a way to lend a hand to those who suffered due to the attacks on the Twin Towers. Not only did they want to show that they were unlike the group of people who crashed into the World Trade Center, they genuinely cared and ached to help. But this didn’t stop people from quickly judging.

Many have portrayed the hijab as an ostracizing and anti-feminist sign of oppression, when in reality, its purpose is to de-objectify women and stand as a symbol of pride in one’s religion. A friend of mine claims that people tend to look away from their iPods and phones and look up silently while she walks by. I have not encountered this, but once on a visit to Washington, D.C., a woman in a car sank her back into her seat and stared wide-eyed at me. She honestly seemed scared and I felt really bad about myself after that. I wish I had said hello or smiled at her, but all I did was glance at her and simply crossed the road. I now wonder if it’s because of my hijab. If I hadn’t worn it, would she have been relaxed and doing something else or had her focus on anyone other than me? Did she think I was a terrorist? Did she think I was oppressed?

I was three when I came to America and still a toddler. I had no way of knowing what terrorism was, or that planes could crash into buildings, or even what a bomb was.

Everything eventually did cool down, even thought the lives of many weren’t exactly “normal” afterward. September 11th intensified the judgments some individuals held against Muslims. The easiest Muslims to identify are the ones who wear the hijab and they use this symbolic physical thing, his headscarf, as a way to point fingers and call the Muslims terrorists. I want to talk about why I wear the hijab and how it has become a part of me.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Although we associate the term “hijab” with Muslims, this form of modesty did not originate in Islam. Women in ancient Mesopotamia wore a cloth over their heads to differentiate between “respectable” women from those who of a different class, or who were single. It usually showed rank, lifestyle, and class in the Assyrian community.

During the time of the Muslim conquest at around 640 C.E., invasions led to a gradual turn toward a Qur’anic conception of head covering in Greek, Persian, and Mesopotamian societies. The practice of wearing a head covering spread to other countries as an expression of modesty and piety. Although Muslims believe Jesus (peace be upon him*), was another Prophet in Islam, they do not believe he is the “Son of God.” However, Muslims do have a strong connection to the Virgin Mary. In Christianity, the Virgin Mary is usually shown with a head covering. In fact, depictions of the Virgin Mary with a cloth covering her head may conjure images of Muslim women.

RELIGIOUS  SYMBOLISM

The hijab is a veil that covers the head and chest area, and is translated as “curtain” or “screen” from the Arabic language. To those who wear it, the hijab symbolizes purity, dignity, courage, and self-respect, as it reveals the character of a woman to society. Most Muslim girls begin to wear the hijab when they reach puberty — the time when young people question everything and everyone. Women traditionally wear the hijab in front of non-related adult males. A woman can take off the veil in front of those she is related to, whether by blood or marriage. Despite this, the hijab is a commitment to oneself and to Allah (literally meaning “the God” in Arabic) because it shows you are following in the footsteps required for you to become a better Muslim. In some cultures, however, it is not even acceptable to uncover in front of in-laws.

Many individuals around the world believe that the scarf is just for physical protection, but it serves to present one’s self to the world by honoring one’s faith and character — who he or she is as an individual — and contributing knowledge and understanding to society. In Islam, it is believed that the modesty of wearing a hijab not only helps women, but also helps most men to lower their gaze to prevent sexualizing women as an object. It practically forces people to see a woman’s inner beauty, rather than the style of her hair, the pair of earrings she’s wearing, or if her body is of the ideal and “perfect” size. Fariha, who is 14, commented, “It hides your physical beauty and allows your inner beauty to show.” Men will be able to look away and not entertain themselves with a thought about the woman’s physical qualities, and instead will be given a chance to explore her personality. On the other hand, the older generations tend to tell the younger generations that the hijab should be worn because it helps prevent rape. Sure, it helps to not be immediately sexualized, but the fact that some people think that clothes provoke a rapist to “target” a person is completely ludicrous. The idea of a hijab preventing you from rape is a myth.

Muslim men share a similar physical modesty in clothing. Most Muslim men wear loose, long robes, traditionally, in the Middle East. They aren’t expected to wear a veil or any other kind of cloth on their face. Those living in more “modern” countries have adapted to the custom of wearing a Western button down shirt and pants. They are still covered and do not wear anything tight. Both men and women are charged with the duty to present themselves to the world in a modest way that shows their character and morals.

PERSONAL CHOICE

There is a great deal of personal choice associated with wearing a veil, which one can see in the different variations of the hijab. There are hijab tutorials all over YouTube with a devoted and enthusiastic following. The commitment of some individuals to making videos about wearing the hijab is a form of “dawah,” often spelled “Da’awah,” a term, which means preaching of Islam. They are targeting Muslims and non-Muslims alike, especially youth, in order to share the history and fashion of the hijab.

This form of dawah can be instructive — not just to Muslims, but to those who are outside the religion. These videos help others relate better to Muslims and contrast with the negative stereotypes about Islam and the veil that are often in the media. It helps to avoid linking Muslims with 9/11 and terrorism. It provides a way of bringing light and warm-hearted thoughts into young minds, so that people realize the guy next door with a beard or the girl with the scarf isn’t going on a bombing spree.

In fact, these videos not only stand as a symbol of Islamic pride, they show the uniqueness behind a variety of hijab styles. We live in a world where we tend to follow what’s “in” and shed away our sense of self to fit in, when in reality, we were made to stand out. There are a variety of hijabs that help show our individuality. Wearing the hijab can vary from a plain black scarf to a braided turban or a layered scarf, for a stylish and fashionable look. However, all of these variations of the scarf cover what’s mandatory to cover: your hair to your chest. It is a sign of modesty, privacy, and morality, but that doesn’t mean Muslims don’t know how to have fun and “halal-ify” (“halal” means “permissible”) their outfits!

Unfortunately, some girls who are forced to wear the hijab. In my experience this is often because the person is not very knowledgeable about the hijab or was often told as a child that they must wear it. This sort of misinformation gets passed on to the next generation and affects how one views wearing the hijab. Moreover, everyone comes from different places, with different morals and cultures. In some countries, religion is fused with culture in a different way than here in the United States and may create situations in which women are forced to wear a hijab.

If you ever see a female child wearing a hijab who clearly hasn’t reached puberty — and therefore hasn’t made the choice for herself about whether to wear the veil — it may be because her parents want her to grow up in a home where her beliefs and identity are of primary importance. By ingraining background and lifelong lessons, they hope their children will be able to grow up and develop into individuals with strong moral character. As a girl gets older, however, she may feel forced to wear the hijab. My best friend, Eman, age 14, says, “I wore it at a very young age, being raised in a religious family. I did see it as the act of my parents making me do it. As I grew older, I came to realize that all they used was conviction and truth, and I automatically accepted that. It was hard in the beginning, the looks, stares, snickers, sneers, names. It was all very tempting to make me take it off.” She felt like she was forced to wear the hijab by her parents initially, but soon began to accept it as a part of her by understanding it a little more.

I know many Muslims who do not wear the hijab. Most of them do not think about it seriously yet, but there are still some who believe they’ll wear it after their marriage — once they have a man whom they can uncover in front of, and find there is no need to impress the opposite sex anymore. One of the sophomores in my school, Hanane, age 15, says, “I don’t wear the hijab because I’m not ready. But I do things that a Muslim female is supposed to do.” She is not ready to make a commitment to the hijab, but the fact that she acts in a way that brings her closer to Allah (God) is still an important virtue. Just because someone wears the scarf, it does not necessarily mean that they truly follow the religion or are any more knowledgeable about it than a person who doesn’t wear the scarf. To be a true Muslim — to be a good person, period — one’s words and actions count the most..

Another one of my friends named Zenab declares, “I don’t feel as if I am strong enough with my faith to represent myself like that. I’m not the type of person to go half/half. If I were to ever wear the hijab, I would never take it off. To me it’s a life choice, not something you should just put on and take off.” To me, her argument is perfectly valid because it seems that she takes the hijab seriously and believes that this is not just a piece of clothing, but a responsibility. The hijab is a beautiful thing, but it’s not so pretty if a person is forced to wear it, because neither the intention nor the sincerity is there.

Aysha, age 14, is a freshman at my school and she doesn’t wear the hijab because she feels as though she doesn’t want to wear something that she’s not yet ready for. She says, “I won’t be who I really am.” Another hard part of the process of deciding whether to wear the hijab is getting over the idea of being scared of getting dirty looks from strangers. But people are going to judge, no matter who you are or what you’ve done in life — wearing the hijab won’t change who you are on the inside.

I think it’s important that Muslim females be given a choice of wearing the hijab. It is ultimately the girl or woman who should know that it’s their choice and only their choice to wear the veil.

Reported by Salim (RA) on the authority of his father that the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man instruct his brother about modesty. Upon this the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: Modesty is an ingredient of Iman (faith).

In the quote on the right, the last Prophet in Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him), is basically saying that by being modest, your Iman (faith) will grow. I’ve grown up with Islam. I went to Saturday and Sunday school for eight and a half years to learn Arabic and try to understand the Qur’an by reading it. I was taught similar hadiths such as the one above, like washing your hands and saying “bismillah” (in the name of God) before you eat. Family and friends passed down stories of other prophets of Islam. I was brought up in a household where wearing tight and short clothing wasn’t very attractive, but unmannerly, which I don’t entirely agree with, but it has shaped my comfort with long and loose clothing and pushed me to explore other perspectives. As I began questioning everyone and everything around me, I was trying to understand, and this led my Iman to grow.

The hijab still causes many to give me strange looks, but it’s completely fine because there will always be people out there who disagree with me and my beliefs. Today, I am still growing. I am 15 years old and my face absolutely becomes drained with pain and shock whenever I hear misconceptions of the wonderful hijab and Islam. The hijab cannot be taken away from me, because, although it is a physical thing on my head, it has become more of a spirit. It is alive.

And it has become a part of me.

* “Peace be upon him” (PBUH) is a kind gesture towards the beloved Prophet since he was a highly respected man. The Muslim Ummah (brotherhood) should say this since this little action is, among others, another promise for Muslims to enter Heaven.

Misbah Awan