An Analysis of Arab American Women in Popular Culture
It's a common phrase. In the 60s, you could fill the blank with "when John F Kennedy was assassinated." In the 70s, it was "when Elvis Presley died." The 80s could have been "when the Challenger exploded" or perhaps "when John Lennon died." In the 90s, it was "when Princess Diana died" or "when Kurt Cobain died" or even "when Tupac died." For the generation of the millennium, the question is, "Do you remember where you were on September 11?" This single day changed the lives of everyone in America, whether they were directly or indirectly effected. Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and intentionally crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In response to this, the United States government launched the War on Terror. This also launched an incredible fear of Arabs throughout the country. People of Arabic descent were thought to be terrorists. This stereotype was easily perpetuated in the media by the constant barrage of news stories related to al-Qaeda terrorist sleeping cells in America. People began to think that all Arabs were dangerous and to be feared. Hate crimes erupted, and not much was done to stop this stereotype. The American government continued this hate by allowing the TSA to interrogate suspicious looking passengers, for no other reason than that they were of Arabic descent. This one day changed our entire country. Innocent Arabic people have been hurt, ignored, judged, and put to shame for the acts of nineteen people of similar ethnic makeup. Would we look at all white people as terrorists because a white man bombed a building in Oklahoma City? Our country was founded by immigrants. That is the basis of our society, how most of us were born here, because our ancestors made the trip. Why now do we judge one group of people who have every right to be here as the rest of us? Arab American women find it "difficult to live between cultures" and to make peace with their "hyphenated identity" (Kahf). These women are not terrorists, but yet are made to feel as outsiders. This stereotype is dangerous, not only in the physical sense, but as a whole, because society perpetuating this thought process will only continue to breed hatred. We cannot live together in peace and tranquility when we continue to stereotype and hate a group of people for the acts of a few.
Take a look at today's television programming. There are shows that depict a humorous look at a single mother's dating life, such as Cougar Town, shows that show blended and interracial families and families that deal with medical and emotional obstacles, such as Modern Family and Parenthood. There are reality shows that depict females as sex objects, such as The Jersey Shore, and there are shows that are about African Americans, such as Meet The Browns. The wide variety of television programming that American citizens enjoy today is vast, encompassed with sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, and enough newscasts and talk shows to keep every member of the family happy. The way in which women are depicted in television shows have changed drastically over the years. Television seems to change with the times; early on, women were shown as housewives and mothers. In the 70s, we were introduced to more nontraditional families and living arrangements, and began to see women in the workplace (Press 142). We now see more television programs and characters that are racially and sexually diverse. Strong African American women in Private Practice, lesbian women in The L Word, and successful Asian American women as doctors and surgeons in Grey's Anatomy and ER. One notable minority missing as a strong female character in today's television programming is a woman of Arab descent. Why is that? Is there fear in stepping out of the norm and creating characters that are racially diverse, and that actually represent the reality of our society? Jack Shaheen, in his documentary, Reel Bad Arabs, claims that there is a real fear of change in Hollywood (Suleiman 350). This is shown further in that the idea of conventional beauty, tall, thin, young, and white, still has not changed in the media, despite the changes in women's roles (Press 146). There are indeed several actresses who are of Arabic descent, including Marlo Thomas, Wendie Malick, Shannon Elizabeth, and Kathy Najimy ("Famous Arab Americans"). Najimy plays the well known character Peggy Hill in the animated series King of the Hill, who is a middle-aged white woman. Why can't these women play characters with similar ethic makeup as themselves? We would not see Jennifer Aniston, a white woman, asked to play Oprah, a black woman, in a movie. Even in animated movies, such as Disney's The Princess and the Frog, the main character, Tiana, is a black woman and is played by a black actress, Anika Noni Rose. So why then are Arabic women playing only white women? Arabic women are displayed in movies as either subservient women or belly-dancers (Suleiman 352). In reality, most Arab American women are neither of those two stereotypes. Why does Hollywood perpetuate that stereotype, if they even portray Arabic women at all? Why hasn't there been a strong, beautiful Arabic woman displayed in a television show? If television is the window to our society, we can see that we are not as accepting of each other as we may like to believe. This is a serious problem with America, and the movie and television industry would do well to help challenge the stereotypes of Arab women by portraying them as they really are: people, just like everyone else.
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| Arab American Woman in Hijab |
What do you think of when you see an Arab American woman? Do you wonder if she’s a terrorist, or if she knows someone who is? Do you assume she is completely subservient to her husband? Or do you see her as a human being, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend? Do you see a woman, beautiful and unique, in part because of her heritage? Or do you fall into the trap our society has created and believe the stereotypes portrayed in the media? Jack Shaheen, author of the book and director of the documentary, Reel Bad Arabs, says that society views Arab Americans as one of three things: bombers, billionaires, or belly dancers (Suleiman 351). People and events in popular culture greatly influence how individual’s perceive others, and stereotypes like these portrayed in the media only perpetuate the negative cycle. There have been several events in our society that have continued these stereotypes, but there are some that have challenged as well. By analyzing events in our culture, specifically the attacks on September 11, the absence of strong, powerful Arab women in the media, and the Miss USA Pageant, we can see how Arab American women are portrayed in several different lights. These events either continue or challenge the common stereotypes, and reveal how influential popular culture is to our thoughts and feelings towards others. Our society has a duty to end the perpetuation of stereotypes, and by analyzing these particular events, we will see how far we have come, and how much further we must go.
"Do You Remember Where You Were..."
It's a common phrase. In the 60s, you could fill the blank with "when John F Kennedy was assassinated." In the 70s, it was "when Elvis Presley died." The 80s could have been "when the Challenger exploded" or perhaps "when John Lennon died." In the 90s, it was "when Princess Diana died" or "when Kurt Cobain died" or even "when Tupac died." For the generation of the millennium, the question is, "Do you remember where you were on September 11?" This single day changed the lives of everyone in America, whether they were directly or indirectly effected. Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and intentionally crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In response to this, the United States government launched the War on Terror. This also launched an incredible fear of Arabs throughout the country. People of Arabic descent were thought to be terrorists. This stereotype was easily perpetuated in the media by the constant barrage of news stories related to al-Qaeda terrorist sleeping cells in America. People began to think that all Arabs were dangerous and to be feared. Hate crimes erupted, and not much was done to stop this stereotype. The American government continued this hate by allowing the TSA to interrogate suspicious looking passengers, for no other reason than that they were of Arabic descent. This one day changed our entire country. Innocent Arabic people have been hurt, ignored, judged, and put to shame for the acts of nineteen people of similar ethnic makeup. Would we look at all white people as terrorists because a white man bombed a building in Oklahoma City? Our country was founded by immigrants. That is the basis of our society, how most of us were born here, because our ancestors made the trip. Why now do we judge one group of people who have every right to be here as the rest of us? Arab American women find it "difficult to live between cultures" and to make peace with their "hyphenated identity" (Kahf). These women are not terrorists, but yet are made to feel as outsiders. This stereotype is dangerous, not only in the physical sense, but as a whole, because society perpetuating this thought process will only continue to breed hatred. We cannot live together in peace and tranquility when we continue to stereotype and hate a group of people for the acts of a few. Where Are They?
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| Peggy Hill - Voiced by Kathy Najimy, an Arab American Actress |
Making History
In 2010, Rima Fakih made history by becoming the first Arab American woman to be crowned Miss USA. The Miss America Pageant and the Miss USA Pageant are both very similar. In Miss America, there is a talent portion of the contest. In Miss USA, there is no talent section, and the winner goes on to compete in the Miss Universe competition. Every other aspect of the contest is the same; they both have a long history in our country, and both have a strong history of "whiteness" (Banet-Weiser 68). These contests are "dedicated to defining the ideal American woman at any given time period," and "whiteness remains the standard against which all other racial categories are measured" (Banet-Weiser 69). In recent years, the contestants have changed racially, but it is minute compared to the overwhelming amount of white contestants. "What is the significance of a national organization that promotes Americanness, but often fails to reflect the racial composition of a diverse American nation?" (Kinloch 93). America is the melting pot of the world, and a contest that portrays a woman as a representation of the country should have a heavily diverse group of contestants. With Fakih's entry and subsequent win, it is a positive moment in this country's acceptance of women of different colors, and perhaps a move away from living in fear of Arabic people. One common stereotype of women of Arabic descent is that they are covered from head to toe. Fakih took part in the swimsuit competition, and very much showed her body. This stereotype is challenged by her entry into this competition. Some Arabic women do cover themselves, but it is absolutely wrong that all women do. On the other hand, by participating in this pageant, women traditionally attempt to fit a certain standard of beauty that includes straight hair, tan skin, and flat stomachs (Kinloch 94). While Fakih entering into a predominantly white contest and winning was a positive move against the common stereotypes, it is possible that some of the beauty of being Arab American was lost in attempting to fit into western civilizations standard of beauty. While breaking stereotypes of Arabic people, this contest still continues to stereotype women, defining beauty solely as outward appearance, and not judging on character or action. The average woman in America does not look like the women in the Miss America or Miss USA pageants. So while perhaps Fakih's win is a victory in the sense that perhaps more people can see the beauty of Arabic women, it also can be seen that to be beautiful, you must attempt to look like everyone else, and that beauty is defined by being thin, tall, and commercial looking. This shows how society still has a long way to go before Arab American women, and women in general, can be accepted, without stereotypes, as beautiful just the way they are.
So What Now?
So what do we do about this problem? How can we stop the stereotyping and accept these women as who they are? First, we need to not allow these stereotypes to continue. We need the media, Hollywood, newscasters, politicians, teachers, anybody with a voice, to step up and say something. If there is no demand for change, change will never occur. Think independently. The media plays a strong part in how we look at and perceive the people and situations around us. Think logically - is every person of Arab descent really a terrorist? It's just not logical. There are thousands of people who live in the Middle East who are against al-Qaeda, so it is logical to believe that there are thousands of Arab Americans who are against them, as well.
Have we made any ground in overcoming these stereotypes? Perhaps. Rima Fakih as Miss USA has at least brought a positive light on Arab women. Look even deeper than that. Fakih is from Dearborn, Michigan, where a very large population of Arabic people live. There are great things happening there everyday! Children in elementary schools collect cans for the needy and hold Peace Day ceremonies ("DuVall"). These elementary schools are a great mix of children of all ethnic heritages, including Arabic. There is good being done!
So the next step is we MUST stop the hate. It is our duty. If we want to live in a world where peace reigns and hatred has no meaning, we must demand that the media and popular culture stop perpetuating the hate. Stop with the stereotypes. Show Arabic women as they really are - women with children, husbands, jobs, degrees, looking for happiness and health and a sense of self-worth, just like every other woman on the planet. Color, race, heritage, are all just aspects of a person. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" (King n. pag.).
Let us strive to achieve that. All it takes is your voice.
