I came across this picture on Flickr.com and I was so shocked I forgot to save the source’s name…
Just look at these two young women from Middle East - what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
Women of the Middle East Shopping:
Repressed? Unhappy? Overruled by men?
I don’t think so… They look so fabulous and so confident I swear I wanted to be in their shoes for a moment there!
Those bags, those accessories, those sunglasses, that hot manicure – they actually look much more sophisticated than many and many (and again – many…) women of the “free world”!
Don’t you think?
Independent Women of the Western World Shopping:
This made me wonder, if this “freedom” we fought for is so good for us, women, then why we want to look like the women in the first picture?
yeah… the women from the Middle East won this one hands down…
I completely agree. and that’s why I moved to the Middle East 12 years ago and stayed here. As much as I loved the States, life is way too good over here… I’m gonna continue your post with my thoughts on my Blog. I’m glad that you posted this. I want people to see what life is really like over here.
[...] recently read a post called Style Battle: Middle East v. Western World about a picture that doesn’t portray the image of repressed women in the Middle East that [...]
you are sooooooo jealous of Women of the Middle East because they have a many from their parents not from boyfriend like Women of the Western they are in depended on ?????????
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The problem is that the western women have confused being naked with being free and independent. I am from Middle East, I don’t wear head scarf and by many accounts am considered fashionable but we preserve our dignity and don’t flash skin right and left. Like everything else, there is a time and place for everything.And believe me, unlike what most of propaganda makes you believe, we are well respected by our male society. There are bad guys and gals like the rest of the world of course but as a whole we are more respected than you think or you are.
The picture of the middle-eastern women is a photo-shoot glamour magazine quality photo, the photo of the western women is something taken on the street. How can you compare the two? Let alone, how can you take a photo and say that it’s representative of all women of a geographic region? I would like to think that we could agree that cultural intolerance is vulgar. And in response to Kaj, the freedom of the western world is not material. Our freedom is not measured in the clothes we wear or things we own, but comes from our core beliefs and values. I love the west, I love our freedoms and tolerance for peoples of all religions, races, and cultural backgrounds. I would much rather look ugly in a free society than enjoy life’s material comforts in a repressed one.
[...] that adds warmth and zest to mulled wines and hot winter punches. In both North America and the Middle East, it is used to enhance the flavour of the traditionally bitter and strong coffee, while in Africa [...]
I live in the Middle East. Trust me. You see women like the photo above all of the time in the middle east here in all the malls. And the photo representing women in the west is also very representative
First off. Let me say that yes, even though those women look stylish, anyone can put on a black scarf and sunglasses and some big costume jewelry and look glam. it’s really not that hard.
I am a life long New Yorker. The girls in the second picture might represent the way some women look, but not where I’m from. and Kash- what the hell are you even talking about?
You know, I’m more on the side of the people in the Middle East just because I have been studying Islam quite a lot lately. It is a lifestyle that we pretty much have yet to see at all in America, in which the women are cherished and the Mothers above all should be honored. It’s not just the material wealth that is what happens to be so appealing to those who move across the water to live in the Middle East, but this loving, accepting atmosphere. Yes, there are regions who abuse Islam just as there are regions in America that abuse Christianity-but the point really is that you cannot really believe everything that is put forth by the media. Propaganda is meant to scare, and keep people ignorant and under control and that is exactly where this attitude about all societies in the Middle East being repressive stemmed from.
There is a huge difference in between two pictures they are showing their values and dignity . In one photo body is fully covered to protect them from naked sight and in other one is a freedom of expression . second one can cause erotic motion uprise . In furtune westren womens are facing very critical conditions due to vulgarity and materialism which make them a tissue paper use it and thrown away.
This is what you call Middle-eastern i like how the photo is taken. I hope one day when I will finish my studie over here I will live in the Middle-east. I want to begin a big fashion company. And I think scarf’s look very fashionable I like it the way they wear it.