Semester at Sea Fall
2006 Voyage 
Multi-Sited Ethnography Project:
How Do I Look?
During the past three
months one
theme that has occurred in several countries is the unique way women
dress and
display themselves in the public sphere compared to their private
domain. In “Poetics of Resistance” Lada
Cale Feldman
says, “there is a certain haughtiness, ignorance and everyday bluntness
in a
man thinking that being alive is something entirely normal (3).” In this article the authors are describing
the living conditions of people during the fighting that took place in
Women
in three different countries that I visited have different ways of
dressing and
presenting themselves. In
While
in
Every
time I looked up from my book and saw a veiled woman wearing the full
burkha, I
was shocked. Perhaps it is because in
the library I could forget that I was in
Through my innocence I couldn’t help the mystery I felt toward these women. The only part of their bodies left uncovered was their eyes. I wondered is that comfortable? Can they look from side to side, or do they have to turn their whole head to see to their left or right? Still filled with questions about this ancient uniform donned by Muslim women, I left the main library in search of the ladies’ room.
As
per usual, there was a line stretching outside the woman’s bathroom. After some minutes, when I was finally
standing in the doorway, located next to the sinks and mirrors, I was
once
again mildly surprised at what I saw. Five
teenagers about thirteen or fourteen were standing in
front of the
mirror obsessing about their hair. Their
veils were draped around their shoulders and the pins that held them in
place
were held between their lips. One was
trying to put a younger girl’s hair into a pony tail, but bumps and
tangles
kept frustrating the process. I was
surprised that girls so young wear the veil. In
“Remaking the Modern,” by Farha Ghannam, while
explaining how she did
her field work in Egypt, Ghannam mentions that an informant suggested
that she
wear a scarf so that people know she is a Muslim and that she is
married
(12). Therefore, I assumed that most of
the women I would see wearing a scarf in
If I could have, I would have asked them, “You care what your hair looks like? Why?” It seems crazy to me that people would care about certain things that aren’t even visible publicly. If my hair was covered, I wouldn’t worry about what it looks like. If my face was covered, I wouldn’t put make up on. These teens weren’t wearing the full burkha and they may not have to wear it even after they get married. However, I presumed that in a society that seems to encourage this traditional and religious dress, women would care less about visible aspects of beauty.
It could be that Egyptian society has turned hair and make up into more of a personal beauty. Maybe requiring women to cover their hair has made it more of a symbol of beauty. These girls know what their hair looks like under their veils and obviously that is important to them.
Perhaps
these girls could also relate to the circumstances facing young women
in
While
in
A skit that they performed for the group of students that I visited the school with stands out in my mind as I recall the stay. It carried many traditional Indian ideals, with the underlying theme; “every girl must receive an education.”
This skit started off with a couple celebrating their sixth anniversary. The wife was unhappy because they had not been able to have any children yet. So, together they went to a doctor who performed a “medical surgery” that enables the women to have two children. The wife is so happy now because she has children even though they constantly nag their father for money to buy things with. One day, the father leaves the house and she receives a call saying that her husband died from a heart attack. She is devastated and has to tell her children that their father is dead. At the worst possible moment, a man comes to the house and tells her that her husband took out a loan for money and she needs to repay the loan right away. She begs the man to give her some time to raise the funds and eventually he agrees to give her until the end of the month. In a moment of strength she declares that she will get a job and support her family and pay off her late husband’s debts. In an epilogue, the woman explains that because she had an education, she was able to get a job and support her family. Her son and daughter were able to go to school and she paid off her late husband’s debts.
As demonstrated in the play, the wife did not feel fulfilled because she had not been able to get pregnant. Giving birth to biological children is the only way this woman could feel complete or happy.
All at once we were bombarded with traditional, Indian family ideals and a new more modern concept that the women of this school idealize. When asked at what age they will get married they quickly reply, “Twenty-one” and they all agree that it will be arranged. The director of the school confesses that a lot of the students who stay in the area don’t work after graduation, but simply get married and raise families. It is expected that Indian brides stay home and soon have children to take care of. Their husbands will work to support their families and the wife will only work if something happens to him or if a second income is needed.
Serena Nada talks about the emphasis Indian culture places on the importance of family. The article depicts her experience talking to young people about how they feel about arranged marriages. I realize now that by allowing the parents to arrange their children’s marriage, the process involves the entire family in the decision. In every level of Indian society, family plays the most important role.
In a completely different way, I saw two Japanese girls submitting to cultural pressures as well. The country was covered in depictions of women with blonde hair and fair skin. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that its people would start to emulate those attributes.
Row after row they all show the same thing; white straight teeth, long blond hair, fair flawless skin. The glossy images on the boxes call to the women looking over the rows of dye. Picking one up, they examine the box to see what their hair would look like after using it. Alas, their jet black hair will not turn out like the girl’s in the picture. So placing it back on the shelf, they examine some other options.
In
this small department store located in
After lifting some other boxes and examining the charts on their sides, they decide on a few and head over to the clerk. Once they are clear of the shop I examine the shelves of hair dye. Finally I come across what I am looking for. Tucked away on the bottom shelves, far right of all hair dyes are some boxes with Asian women on them with very dark hair.
In “Urban Middle-Class Japanese Women and Their White Faces,” Mikiko Ashikari, explains that people aim for and epitomize the ideals of their society. Whatever the dominant ideal look is for a society; its members will attempt to embody it. This ideal look may mean paler skin, bigger breasts, or a slimmer waste. The women saw that the most beautiful hair is blonde. Even if it means they may have to bleach their hair before coloring it, they were going for the perfect shade. There are many ideologies for a society, but there is one that is more dominant than another and in this case it is the need to be a blonde. This is evident in billboard after billboard of young western looking women with light colored hair.
Each
of these experiences shows how women strive to fit in to their society
or
naturally adapt to it, but try to maintain a sense of identity. The girls in