Appearance In El Nahra

customary appearance was crucially important when defining a woman in El Nahra. Women lived privately in “relative seclusion behind walls, not meeting or mixing with men,” and out of sight of the public view (Fernea 1989: 5). The wardrobe consisted of the black garments – chin scarf (foota), headscarf, (asha), and an abayah over a black dress. Fernea, being a Westerner was reluctant to wearing the garments at first, but she sensed to have more power in wearing the garments than if she were not to. She first decided upon the garments when she waited for a taxi to take them to El Nehra, “while [she] waited, people gathered to stare at [her] again, and [she] slowly became aware that, among the crowds of middle-class Iraqis and townspeople, …show more content…
In the unfamiliar atmosphere where women wore revealing clothing, and danced with men, Sheik Hamid says to his son, “You see, that’s the sort of woman you find in Lebanese night clubs. You can always tell a woman of that type by the kind of clothes she wears” (Fernea 1989:312). Sheik Hamid shows his concern and disrespect towards the women he see’s, that are not like his women who are fully covered. He has a point when regarding this situation to his son; most women of Western society portray themselves in a negative light by the lack of clothing they wear in resemblance to show off their “good aspects”. As we can see Sheik Hamid can relate more to women who have respect for themselves, woman who portray there knowledge over their bodies. I think this is a great example of how people can be seen for their personality, regardless of their …show more content…
Jewelry presented through marriage is treasure and provides security, while bringing satisfaction. Friendship is treasured and valued amongst the women in society by the respect they give each other in attrition to the satisfaction each women receives from one another’s company. I also looked at the importance of conservatory clothing, which provides a sense of power in each individual who accompanies the rules they want to follow, not by the rules they have to follow. Finally, I discussed the views of how El Nahra community may presume Western cultures, while giving insight on how women in El Nahra may be mistakenly seen through wrong eyes upon their freedom. In all, we can see how these topics are a significant part in how El Nahra women live among their society, bringing them closer together and realizing the inadequate stereotypes that Westerners reflect on women in different