Feminism | Posted by Natalia K on 10/7/2010
Pink and Blue
It breaks my heart whenever I hear that women in China and India are having abortions or killing their new born babies just because they turn out to be girls. I’m pro-choice, but having an abortion because your baby is a girl instead of a boy is just beyond disturbing, sexist, and repulsive. The worst part is, the same attitude is prevalent in North America. We may not be killing our new born daughters (not that I know of at least) but a lot of women are definitely devaluing their gender and have become active participants in our good ol’ patriarchy.
Think of all the times you’ve heard women say that they would rather have a boy if they ever became pregnant. Now think of why they say that. …
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Feminism | Posted by Baykan O on 07/15/2009
The Social Politics of Young Turkish Women
Being that I am ethnically Turkish, to grasp precisely what the “Western” view of its social attitude toward women is, poses a number of difficulties. In casual conversation, people are far more comfortable idealising Turkey as an idyllic getaway, an awkwardly beautiful paradox of Eastern tradition (age old cuisine, arabesque music) and Western normalities (alcohol, cigarettes, art). The symbol of a scantily clad sequinned-hip-scarf-adorned beauty is just as relevant to Turkey’s cultural image as that of a burka, niqab or hijab-clad Islamic woman. Indeed, it is between these two extreme ideals that sociological problems fester, and from my own understanding and experience, Turkish women are often seen as little more than these aforementioned symbols.
Being simultaneously British and Turkish and perhaps most unfortunate of all, a woman, means then that …
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