[Arabica New Products]--> Islamic Feminism & Lorella Zanardo--> Re-Contextualizing Tradition with Alberto Sordi ; )

 

Be Independent! by tribalrealities
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European ban on the veil: this debate made me think. So I created new products (mousepads, bags, t-shirts) and put them on-line in my Arabica product line. Hijab, Niqab, Burqa. Different words and one single controversial issue.You know, it seems to me that muslim women are shuttered between the patriarchal interpretation of Islamic principles (Tradition) and Westernization (Global, Modern). But I believe there is a Third Option in the menu of choice, uh?

Frankly, I don't think Western means Modern.On the contrary, I think the challenge is to re-contextualize Islamic principles within the global, modern world. 

Ok, I see. How can I achieve this? 

Go inside Your-Self. 

Discover Your Inner Core. And Be Free!

In other words, Muslim Women can choose to go back to study Islamic sources. Learning. Education. Thus, they can defend Islamic Principles against any kind of gender-biased, patriarchal, narrow-minded interpretation. Simply put...Make Your Own Decisions, Be Independent! Be Free! 

Be Free inside their own religious.cultural.social.political setting. Be Free within the Islam framework.

This is exactly what Islamic Feminism is doing.

Thus, moving away from the [Be Western] mantra. Starting to repeat the [Be Free] mantra.But there's more.

The ban on the veil debate is making European and Western women think, I guess. What is the role and position of Women in Western societies?For example, Italian Women seem to have just few options: follow the Roman Catholic patriarchal perspective or be Modern and Western, namely, Silly and Blond?(<--which, again, seems pretty patriarchal, uh?)

But there's a Third Option: Be Your-Self. 

Move beyond self-imposed models and stereotypes and re-connect with Your True Self. How? Check this out...The image and representation of Italian women in TV shows (i.e. in Italian society) was deeply analyzed by Lorella Zanardo in her video-documentary "Il Corpo delle Donne"(Women Bodies) - watch the full-video (English & other language) here. 

She believes women are not nice shallow and sexy "bodies" ready to capture men's attention.She wants woman to go back to their real Identities.Actually, women to discover their own Identities.

Zanardo's opinions seem to naturally fit with the words of Canadians culture-jammers Ad-Busters. Indeed, according to the un-politically correct  Ad-Busters: "Consumerism is the new patriarchy. The beauty industry is the beast. Advertising constrains the horizon of female aspirations, gendering their dreams before they’re hatched.Girls, even when they are still a fetus in the womb, are the target of an unrelenting image assault. Pretty little girls is what this society wants and it gets it through a flood of erotically charged marketing that propagandizes half the population, and their parents, to sexualize femininity at an early age. Of course, boys get the message too. But their assigned role is as the aggressor party. Girls, on the other hand, are told that weak and vulnerable is sexy." 

Men can be the aggressive macho-man or the nerdy passive. Men just like women gotta fit into one of the 2 categories this society of forced consumption has chosen. They have to be young, rich, and successful. What if they are not? So if Muslim Women got their own problems, Western Women are no different. And Men are no different. But.We All have a Third Choice. This society is incessantly providing us with role-models which are clearly out-of-our-reach. So we would like to be  just like the dudes on screen, but it's not gonna happen. And this generates frustrations and depression. Do you really wanna be like the dudes on the screen?Why are we trying so hard to fit in this world? this world is not designed for our living. We don't wanna be like those people on the screen. We wanna Be Our-Selves. So it is time we recover our Identities. And BE FREE.

So, even Western Women and Men need to re-contextualize their own principles within the modern, global world. (ha!)

Now, it is time to Smile and Be Free. ^___^

Above there's a funny video: it is an Italian movie (1954) titled Un Americano a Roma (An American in Rome)-->[Read the Plot Summary here]: Nando Moriconi wants to speak like Americans, wear like Americans, eat like Americans...but he realizes that, in the end, he prefers his own values, culture and models.   The Consumer Culture(America) is beated by Re-contextualized Tradition (Spaghetti). The video is hilarious but makes you think, uh?