Chador on Muslim Women - Essay Example

Chador on Muslim Women Understanding its Cultural Significance through the Social Construction of Taste Introduction In this paper, we analyze a specific phenomenon in modern society using the Social Construction of Taste, which is the wearing of chador. Thus, the paper is to be divided into three parts. The first part will provide the theoretical foundations for the Social Construction of Taste by highlighting on: (1) the essence of taste as an inherent quality of any piece of art and (2) the different degrees of appreciating taste in relation to social status. The second part will examine chador by paying close attention to its overall form, use, and cultural symbolisms. Through this part, some essential insights are to be obtained as regards the various types of images that people form about the wearing of chador. The last part will marry the theoretical foundations of the Social Construction of Taste with the key findings about the wearing of chador. Theoretical Foundations of the Social Construction of Taste The Social Construction of Taste begins with a basic premise: that the appreciation of a certain look, which in this case is on the person’s overall look in a wardrobe, depends heavily on both the gazer and the wearer. As for the gazer, the kind of judgment given on the person and his or her wardrobe relies on the amount of information he or she has acquired. Information, in this regard, is influenced not only by the intellectual facet, but most importantly by his or her socio-economic class, as posited in the article entitled The Aristocracy of Culture. Strictly speaking, people from the upper social class are deemed to be more adept to making better judgments at a person’s overall look than the lower class. This is an important idea to look at since it the physical quality of the wardrobe (for example, the type of fabric used or the elegance of the designs) is replaced by perceptions and images, as reflected also in Point of Purchase. This makes the judgment of a look very subjective. From a logical point-of-view, the association between the members from the upper social class and their impeccable taste in overall look is driven primarily by wealth: the more money one has, the more options he has. Thus, the sense of taste of people from the lower tier are said to be limited, as strongly claimed in Taste Wars and Design Dilemmas. Now, as stated in an article entitled Them and Us, it is the goal of the Social Construction of Taste to destroy the subjectivism in the appreciation of an overall look by highlighting on the inherent quality of the design—which is often called the revival of style. Through this idea, style is not strictly limited to wealthy people, as poor people can also have one if they have enough knowledge about it. Indeed, it is in the putting together of a message and clearly and effectively communicating that message about oneself through the clothing worn that real style is brought out. Closer Look at Chador 1. Wearing the Chador A chador is a loose robe that is worn like an open cloak by Muslim women, as stated in the Definition of Chador. Although most people associate the wearing of chador with Iranian women, it is deemed that chador is also worn by Muslim women in other parts of the Middle East like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Typically, a chador is worn with hijab, a headscarf which is intended to cover the wearer’s hair, throat, and neck, as claimed in an online article entitled Chador. However, a chador does not necessarily have to include a facial veil. In terms of wearing the chador, women pull it over their heads, clasping it shut in front and swathing their bodies in the fabric, as discussed in an online article called What is a Chador?. This is made possible because the chador is cut in the shape of an open half-circle. A well-worn chador is able to cover everything but the hands, feet, and face of the woman, with hijab giving extra support by covering the face—all of these to ensure that nothing indiscreet will be revealed. It is interesting to point out that some highly traditional women wear chador with a ruband—a white apron which starts below the eyes and runs down the front of the wearer’s body. The underneath clothing depends upon the taste of the wearer. Although there were certain points in Muslim history in which Iranian women wore daring outfits as an expression of their outrage against the manipulative government, majority of the Muslim women like wearing the chador with a modest clothing underneath in order to highlight their expression of piety, their matter of taste, or just plain personal comfort. 2. History of the Chador At this point, it is essential to have a quick overview of the history of chador in order to understand its background and essence. Chador is often linked to the origin of hijab, which started as one of the Persian customs in ancient Mesopotamia, in which respectable women veiled while female servants and prostitutes were forbidden to do so. In this sense, the veil marked class status. This custom was then adopted by the Persia Achaemenid rulers who were known to hide their wives and concubines from the public gaze. With this, it can be claimed that most rulers in barbarous nations were extremely jealous and suspicious about their women—their wives, their slaves, and their concubines—and they kept them so strictly so no one saw them. Therefore, most of these women spent their lives shut up within doors; and whenever they took a journey, they were carried in closed tents, curtained on all sides. As posited by most historians, the custom of veiling continued through the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid periods. Thus, it is claimed the veiling of women in Islamic culture, like the creation of hijab and chador, was a continuation of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern custom. However, instead of covering women against other men, Islamic women were heavily clothed in order to lift their dignity and show respect to them. And this is clearly shown even in the etymology of the world chador, which means ‘cloth’ or covering. During the 20th century, specifically in 1936, Islamic leader Reza Shah banned the wearing of chador and hijab as it was incompatible with the ruler’s ambition of modernization. In this sense, Islamic police arrested women who wore veil and they forcibly removed it, as stated in Historical Perspectives of the Islamic Dress. Of course, this action was excoriated by the Islamic public, especially the old women, as they viewed it as tantamount to nakedness, and ultimately, to lowered morality. Apart from this, they also deemed it as desecration of their religion and their identity as persons. This is the reason why some women even committed suicide as a result of extreme humiliation. However, the banning of chador and hijab was supported by the Westernized upper-class men and women since they saw the act as a first step in granting women their rights in Islamic society. Eventually, the rules of removing chador and relaxed were abandoned after Reza Shah’s abdication in 1941. From 1941 to 1979, wearing the chador and hijab was no longer regarded as on offence. However, the concept of social backwardness was soon attached to it. In this regard, wearing the headscarf as well as the chador prejudiced the chance of women to advance in their work. In addition to this, fashionable hotels and restaurants sometimes refused to admit women with chador. Today, various adaptations of the traditional chador have been made to suit the changing Islamic culture. As stated in On Chador, for example, the ‘national’ or ‘student’ chador now have decorated sleeves to add more elegance to the garment. They also have bigger cuts to allow for better body movements. 3. Cultural Significance of the Chador Wearing the chador with the hijab is done in fulfillment of the modesty prescription of a Hadith of Bukhari. As stated earlier, it signified self pride and respect for Islamic culture and religion. Indeed, to wear a chador is to announce to the world who the woman is, what her cultural background is, and what value system she follows. As years passed by, however, the sense of dignity that chador was able to provide to its wearer was slowly changed to a negative connotation of backwardness. This imagery was usually associated with certain groups of people—(a) women who were relatively old or (b) women who were poor. In both of these connections, it is important to highlight that when the women from the higher-socio economic class wore the chador, they were able to ‘pull it off’. 4. Chador in Modern-Day Fashion The various alterations in the overall design of the chador were driven primarily by changing societal practices. These essentially point at the shift in the types of images associated with chador—from a symbol of feminine pride to a concretization of unpleasant societal status. However, even these negative connotations, Muslim women are able to revitalize the essence of the garment by incorporating some modern designs into its overall look. This led to the ‘fashionization’ of what used to be a heavily traditional piece of clothing. Numerous blog sites and fashion magazines that concentrate on the traditional Islamic wardrobe openly express the necessity in improving it since it not only provides a lot of benefits for the wearer, it also elevates the perception of the clothing. Specifically, most chadors now have decorated sleeves that are cut in sides to allow freer bodily movements as stated in Chador Making a Comeback as Fashion Item. But the biggest benefit that wearing chador gives is that women can put on various types of clothes underneath the fabric. For example, most women now wear long boots underneath the cloth. Aside from these, another benefit for the wearer lies on the new design—its frontal part is completely closed with hidden buttons, thus, women choose not to wear anything underneath during warm days. Based on studies, 93 percent of women who wear the chador do not have a complete hijab. In fact, it is their dress and scarf that keeps their chador in place. It is interesting to note that the modernization of the chador is not only about the protection of the women dignity, it elevated it in a sense that it is now about women empowerment. Expressing oneself through the kind of clothing that one wears is an essential thing since after all, what is worn reflects the persona inside. Conclusion Using the tenets of the Social Construction of Taste, it can be claimed that the inherent value of the chador banks on the overarching message of women dignity. Although there are numerous ways to interpret this message, the simpler and more focused way is to look at the overall design of the wardrobe, which is meant to cover the women. While it is evident that this message has evolved either positively or negatively in a lot of ways, it is significant to underscore that whether it means social backwardness or stubbornness against modernism, it still boils down to the idea of women empowerment. Muslim women, despite the freedom to choose another type of wardrobe remain to wear the chador since it helps them identify who they are both as a Muslim and as a person. This is clearly manifested in the various alterations they employ in terms of the design of the wardrobe to make it more comfortable for them. Works Cited Bourdieu, Pierre. The Aristocracy of Culture. London: Academic Press Inc, 1980. Print. Chador. Mideastweb.org. Middle Eastern Organization. Web. 14 March 2012. Chador Making a Comeback as Fashion Item. NetNative. Web. 15 March 2012. Clarke, Alison. Taste Wars and Design Dilemmas. Oxford: Oxford, 2002. Print. Definition of Chador. FreeDictionary.Com. Web. 15 March 2012. Historical Perspectives on the Islamic Dress. Womeninworldhistory.com Web. 16 March 2012. Jones, Peter Lloyd. Them and Us. U.S: Oxford: Pergamon, 1991. Print. On Chador. Angelsancartier.Net. Web. 15 March 2012. What is a Chador? Wisegeek.com. Conjecture Corporation. Web. 15 March 2012. Zukin, Sharon. Point of Purchase. U.K.: Routeledge, 2005. Print. Read More